ECLIPSE
by SPARTAN-045
Summary: On the most populated planet in the outer colonies, two Spartans are deployed into battle in the heart of a massive city during a Covenant invasion. Better summary inside. Rated for the usual violence and strong language. CHAPTER 62 IS UP!
1. ARRIVAL

Alright, this story is the product of myself and a few friends thinking of what would happen if a group of SPARTAN's were deployed into a large scale urban battle. I want to make it clear to you all now, that I'm pretty much by the book when it comes to Halo, but I also like to add in my own unique elements to my stories; some of which may seem impossible but will add a unique mental image factor to the story.

I also wrote this story to have an Anime feel to it just to make it a little more unique.

Nearly all of my characters are based off of myself and people I know simply because I like to write about how my friends and I would handle a situation in our own unique ways.

Rated for blood, gore, language, violence, and some suggestive themes. Maybe more later on, who knows. Anyways, sit back, relax, get comfy with a nice cup of Hot Cocoa and enjoy .

LET IT BE KNOWN!!! That NONE of my title's or ship/ character names are based off of the vampire series Twilight!!! Eclipse was thought up before I even knew that series existed.

(CHAPTER 1) ARRIVAL

1500 Hours, October 15, 2552 (Military Calendar) /

UNSC Capital Ship Twilight, In Slip Space, En route

to the Luna System.

His armored boots made a harsh clacking as he walked through the dark corridors of the UNSC Capitol ship, Twilight. Eric, SPARTAN-45 age 21, rubbed his eyes with his glove. He had just gotten out of cryo and back into his armor. The cryo process always left him groggy and quite frankly, he hated the cryo process. He flexed his right shoulder. It was still stiff. He had taken a direct blow from a Brutes gravity hammer on his last mission. The direct close range impact from the weapon left him with a broken shoulder plate, blown shield generator and dislocated shoulder along with several other injuries. Having to fight his way to evac with a limp arm and only being able to fire with his left hand wasn't what he would call a successful mission. After a week of healing he felt back to his old self.

As he walked he looked down at his new suit of MJOLNIR Mark VI. Some parts had been refitted from the last battle. The shoulder plate from the gravity hammer was completely destroyed and his chest plate had a substantially large dent in it; not to mention countless dings and scratches. Now his armor was looking as new as the day it was given to him by Dr. Halsey. Back to its bright sheen of blue with red secondary coloring and it was complete with his custom blue and yellow vortex insignia on the right, red shoulder plate.

Eric heard a humming noise. He turned and saw a CTV or Crew Transportation Vehicle pull up alongside him. He jumped on and the vehicle creaked under the weight of his armor but kept moving none the less. The Twilight was huge, a five mile long Capitol Ship, one of the largest in the UNSC's fleet. Walking from one end of the ship to the other could take even a Spartan nearly an hour at the least to do. CTV's made his and the crews work a lot easier.

No one was walking around on the decks of the ship. It didn't surprise him. They were still a while from exiting slip space so a large percentage of the crew was still in cryo sleep; and seeing as how the CTV was A.I. controlled, there wasn't even a driver to make a conversation with. He sat and looked out the occasional window that would pass by. There was never anything interesting to look at in slip space, only blackness.

Eric set his helmet on the seat beside him and ran his gloves through his long electric blue hair. He was from the planet of Aurora. A planet populated by what you could call humans. The people on Aurora were basically human, minus the fact that everyone who lived on the planet had bright vivid hair and eye color. Those two features were what Eric had that always made him stand out among the other Spartans. Because of his vivid hair color and bright emerald green eyes, naturally he was always the odd one out amongst the other Spartans. He was always accepted by his fellow Spartans it was only the small matter of being different that made things hard for him. He could easily remember the day when he was nine years old back in his training and his good friend and fellow Spartan, John stood up for him against two of the drill sergeants for making comments about his vivid hair. He never liked having other people fight his battles but he was grateful none the less. Now at the age of 21 he only had to deal with the small comments he got from higher ranked Officers and other Marines that apparently knew nothing about respect. Most called him and his race genetic abnormalities and others just referred to him as a "Freak". No one's opinion ever mattered to him. That's mostly the reason he let his hair grow so long. No other Spartan besides the girls grew their hair down to their chin.

Another one of his quirks was his random and impulsive attitude. Eric was never one to miss out on the opportunity to crack a joke or make light of the situation. He could find humor in just about any situation and would occasionally throw random insults at other soldiers to ease the tension of battle. You could call it a morale boost or just ignorance. Either way, it's because of these factors that most of the people in the UNSC can't understand how he was given the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer.

He had been riding on the CTV for twenty minutes. The slow speed of the vehicle and the length of the ship made the trip all the more longer for him. Another thing that bothered him was that he was brought on board the Twilight without any heads up. He was only instructed that once he was on board he had to go to cryo immediately and that once his cryo cycle was over, he was to go to the bridge and get debriefed by Commander Bowley.

The idea of being sent to a new mission without hardly any heads up on the situation to come always made him uneasy. It wasn't the fact that he might be thrown into battle against something he couldn't go up against but the fact of not knowing what the threat would be.

The CTV stopped. Eric grabbed his helmet, jumped off and saw an elevator with a painted arrow on the floor that read, Bridge. He stepped onto the elevator and hit the Bridge button. Halfway through the ride up, he felt his balance shift slightly. The Twilight was decelerating. When the elevator reached the top level, the doors parted and he stepped out. He walked down a hallway towards the bridge. A small window on the wall showed countless stars flickering like silver glitter. They were back in normal space.

This area of the ship was more active. Crew members were everywhere, walking back and forth monitoring different computers and monitors that lined the halls. Occasionally as he would walk past the crew, he would hear their remarks. The same he usually got on any ship he was on. Like, "Look, there he is" or "Check it out, a Spartan." He learned not to listen to it anymore.

Eric came to a door; this one with a keypad that required an access code for entry. It was a typical bridge security protocol. He tapped in his code and the door hissed open. The room glowed an incandescent blue from the countless buttons and monitors that covered nearly every square inch of the room. At the front of the bridge standing on the large thick glass observation area was Commander Bowley and a truly stunning and familiar sight out the front view port. Commander Bowley heard the heavy sound of armored boots clacking on the deck. He turned and saw the Spartan approaching. "It's good to see you Son." Bowley said as he saluted. "Eric returned the gesture and replied. "Likewise."

It was the first time Eric had ever met Commander Bowley. He was easily 6'5" and a rather husky person to say the least. That feature was easily shaken off when Bowley would unleash his strength in battle. He was basically the human version of a Brute, tall, muscular, large frame and a burly face. Bowley was most noted amongst the UNSC as the only Commander to single handedly fight off Covenant boarders off of his ships bridge using only a stray plasma rifle that he had taken from a dead Elite and his bare fists.

Bowley turned. "Stunning isn't it?" He said as he pointed to the planet in the distance. Eric's eyes widened in disbelief when he looked out the view port. The Twilight was in far orbit of a planet that glowed with the bright neon colors of the aurora borealis. The entire planet was covered with them. The solar systems large sun which constantly threw off high amounts of radiation was the cause for the planets spectacular light shows. Eric looked out the view port and said, "Aurora." Commander Bowley said, "This is a bit of a homecoming for you I'm guessing." Eric nodded. "Why are we at my home world, Sir?" Eric asked. Commander Bowley gestured him to follow. The two walked off the bridge and into a small room that was guarded by two ODST's. The two soldiers saluted and stepped aside as there Commander approached.

The door hissed open and inside were three Techs standing around a table looking at an object. Commander Bowley walked up to the table and said, "Do you know what this is?" Eric nodded and went in for a closer look. A purple sheen reflected off of the almost squid-like object that lay on the table in front of him. "Yeah, a Covenant spy probe." "Exactly." Bowley said. "These have been spotted all around Aurora for the past week. This one here was recently captured and disabled and was sent to us for safe keeping. Then they ordered us to keep watch over Aurora and to have you with us in case something bad should happen." Eric turned to Bowley. "Sir, with all due respect, do you think I would let anything happen to my home world? I've been forced to sit back and watch the Covenant glass other worlds but I'm not gonna let it happen to mine!" Bowley put his hand on Eric's shoulder and patted it reassuringly. He continued. "And it's that reason Son that you were selected to take on this mission. And one more thing, just to make sure your mission would be a success, we've managed to bring a little extra fire power in for you." "What do you mean?" Eric asked. Bowley walked over to a small pad on the wall that contained several buttons. He pushed one down and spoke into the intercom. "Send him in."

Eric heard the doors behind him hiss open. He turned and heard heavy footsteps followed by the familiar sheen of his grey MJOLNIR Mark VI armor with the blue secondary coloring. And his most noted feature was the blue and silver Delta Insignia on his shoulder plate. Eric recognized who it was the instant he walked in. One of his best friend out of all the Spartans, Kalder, SPARTAN-73 age 20. He walked in carrying his helmet in his one hand and looking quite groggy from the cryo process. His longer sandy blonde hair was far from neatly combed from being in battle and then instantly put into cryo. Eric walked up to him and instead of saluting like the normal military custom, the two punched fists. Something they had done since they were kids back on Reach. It had been months since they had last seen each other, so for Eric it felt good to be back with a good friend.

"Jesus," Eric said, "They got you here to huh?" Kalder chuckled and said, "Yeah, right in the middle of a mission to take out a Covenant AA Battery they tell me I needed to be flown from battle and brought aboard a ship for a top secret assignment. Speaking of which Sir, "Kalder said as he looked to Bowley. "What ship am I on anyway? I would of known before hand had I not been instantly thrown into the freezer." Bowley cracked a smile. "You're on the UNSC Capitol Ship Twilight, Spartan. Kalder raised an eyebrow. "No wonder it took me so long to get to the bridge. They threw me on the big one."

Kalder looked at the table behind Eric and Bowley. He saw the Spy Probe. He looked to Bowley and said, "I'm guessing where going to be dealing with the Covenant." "How'd you guess?" Bowley said. "But yes, there's been a lot of suspicious Covenant activity around Aurora and just to be on the safe side, where here keeping watch. We can't afford to lose Aurora, it's one of the outer colonies largest economic powers plus, we need to make sure that no harm comes to the planets Chancellor. If Aurora falls, the economy and population of the colonies crashes. That's why you two are here to make sure that doesn't happen." "Understood." Eric and Kalder said simultaneously.

"Commander, you're needed on the bridge." A voice said over the room's intercom. Bowley groaned. "Probably just another blip in the radar." He turned to the two armored warriors. "You two had better come with me." Bowley walked out of the security room followed by the two young Spartans.

The three walked down the hall of the ship towards the bridge. On the way they passed a window. Eric looked out and saw Aurora's glowing spectrum of color accompanied by her two large moons. The Twilight was orbiting on the dark side of the planet so the lightshow was only all the more spectacular.

They ascended a flight of stairs and back into the bridge. Commander Bowley walked over to the Navigation Expert. "What do we have Son?" He asked. "We picked up several anomalies in the systems outer sector, it's gone now." "Any sign of the Covenant?" Bowley asked. "Negative, so far it's just been a few distortions in the area, other than those quick distortions, nothing Sir." Commander Bowley walked towards the front of the bridge and looked out the front view port. He said not taking his gaze away from Aurora. "Spartan's, be on high alert and be ready for deployment. Something just isn't sitting right with me right now. I don't want anything to hit us while our backs are turned." "Yes Sir." The two said.

Eric ran his glove through his long, shocking blue hair and slicked it back then placed his helmet over his head and attached it to his suit. His suit made a hiss noise as it compressed to his body. Kalder did the same. Eric held out his fist and Kalder punched it. "We better get down to the armory." Eric said as he turned and started to walk out. He was stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a girls voice say, "Aren't you forgetting something?" "Ah hell." Eric said with a groan. He turned his head slowly only to have his gaze met with a frustrated A.I. Not just any A.I., but his A.I.

Yuna, a lovely looking girl programmed to be around the age of 18. She wore a blue and black gothic style dress with a decent amount of blue frills on her sleeves and her unique gothic style dress that came down at an angle and formed several sharp points at its base. An interesting feature of her outfit was the glowing white trim on the edges which numeric and other symbols scrolled across its length. On her head she wore an elegant blue trimmed black head band with two glowing white roses on each side and below those two elegantly tied bows which dangled over her ears. Her face could be described as nothing less other than a china doll. Her pale skin and rather cute features were only enhanced by her stunning neon blue eyes and long sky blue hair that extended down to her ankles; and all around her figure she was surrounded by tiny shimmering orbs of light that if need be, could be transformed into a type of energy weapon that an A.I. could use to defend themselves in the cyber world.

Ordinarily she was programmed to have a happy, cheerful and somewhat of a "Sassy" attitude as described by her creator Dr. Halsey. However today, she wasn't in the least bit happy with her Spartan. "We forgot them again…" Kalder said with a groan. Eric sighed and said, "I know, and we'll never hear the end of it…" Eric slowly walked over to the glowing holo panel where his A.I. stood. Yuna was standing with her arms crossed over her chest with the stern look on her face that was just waiting to hear his explanation. It was something that wasn't new to her, ironically, this wasn't the first time that her Spartan had forgotten to get her before he left on a mission.

Making the most innocent face he could manage, he held his arms out and said, "And that's how I learned my lesson!" Yuna instantly slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. "My god…" She uttered. She sighed and said, "Your simple mind, it amazes me sometimes; do you know that?" Eric cracked a smile and said, "Hey thanks! I amaze myself too." "I know you do," Yuna continued, "but do you think that you can free up a few brain cells so that you can actually remember to bring me with you and not forget me again!"

A green flash appeared on another holo pedestal and another A.I. appeared. In a calm, slightly timid voice, she said, "Honestly Yuna, do you always have to be so mean to them?" Mitsuki, Kalder's A.I., was a rather attractive looking girl that was bathed in an eerily beautiful neon green light. She was programmed to be slightly younger then Yuna. She wore a neatly kept green and black outfit that could be easily compared to a sailor school girl uniform. Her green shoulder length hair was kept in two large spiky twin tails and she wore glasses. Her features made her a rather attractive looking girl and she had a large green ring of light surrounded her and fluctuated up and down along her well figured body. The light was her energy weapon that she kept should she need to defend herself in the cyber world. As the halo of light ran up and down her body, she tucked her hair behind her ear and adjusted her glasses.

"Of course I have to be mean to him, he was going to leave me behind; …again, and he was going to leave me behind while he went out and had fun without me!" Mitsuki found Yuna's definition of fun to be rather disturbing. Yuna thought of fun as watching Eric slaughter any enemy that stood in his way. She even took it upon herself to keep a kill counter to see weather Eric had improved from his previous missions. Mitsuki shyly replied, "Don't get so worked up over it, I'm sure there is a logical explanation as to why they forgot to take us." Mitsuki looked at her Spartan with her innocent neon green eyes and said calmly, "Isn't that right, Kalder?" Kalder was trying to keep out of the argument, he knew that these two A.I.'s had their own unique personalities that were prone to these outbursts.

He quickly replied, trying to keep out of trouble, "Exactly! You just didn't give us time to explain." Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "Oh this should be good." Kalder continued, "I was about to remind Eric to grab you before we headed to the armory, but as usual he was too busy debating on his weapon choices that he started to head out of the room before he could remember to grab you." Eric paused for a few moments before looking at Kalder and saying, "You know what… I hate you so much." Eric didn't need to see Kalder's face through his visor, he could tell that he was grinning. Yuna put her hands on her hips and cocked her waist sassily and said, "You've already used that line on us, it won't work again."

At this point, Commander Bowley interjected. "I think I'm the one to blame here. I was feeding them orders and might have jumped the gun on them and made it seem like they needed to jump into immediate action. I apologize for this incident." Yuna looked at Bowley and replied, "You don't need to take the fall for them Commander, We know how they are when it comes to responsibility."

Eric sighed and said, "Look, can we argue about this later? I know that even though you're mad at me right now and you probably want me to take a nice shot from a plasma round just to make you feel better but can we just save this fight for later and pretend that this all never happened?" Yuna stiffened her brow and said, "You aren't getting off that easy. This is the fourth time in the past six months that you forgot to interface me before you left on a mission." Eric sighed and said, "I know, you're right and I'm the bad guy here." "I know you are." Yuna shot back. Eric continued, "I admit I was wrong and that you will always be above me in every way, shape and form." "This is true." She said. Eric walked up to her holo pad and said, "But right now, I have a mission to prep for and you're coming with me." "If you would have remembered me in the first place this wouldn't…" Yuna was cut off as Eric yanked her chip out of the ships systems. "Ahh, sweet silence!" He said to himself as he held Yuna's chip in his hand. He watched as her data crystal began to pulsate blue. It was her way of letting him know that she didn't appreciate him cutting her off mid rant.

"Honestly, that sister of mine." Mitsuki said quietly. "She needs to let things slide more often." "Yeah! Tell me about it." Eric replied as he held her chip in his hand. He looked at her chip as it pulsed with a glowing blue light. He sighed and said, I'm never going to hear the end of this one." He put Yuna's chip into the slot on the back of his helmet and felt his mind wash over with an icy cold feeling followed by a quick shot of pain as Yuna interfaced with him. She usually greeted him when she interfaced with all of his systems but she was silent this time. "Welcome home?" Eric said as he waited for her to lash out at him as she often did. "Nope!" She replied sharply. "I'm mad at you." Eric rolled his eyes and said, "What else is new…?"

Kalder then approached Mitsuki and then yanked her out of the ship and then inserted her back into his neural implant. He felt her come online with him and said, "Ready to go, Mitsuki?" She sighed and said, "I suppose, just be careful this time."

The two Spartan's looked at Commander Bowley. Eric said, "Let us know if anything happens. We'll be the first one's in guns a 'blazing." Bowley nodded and said, "I'm hoping it doesn't come to that." Kalder replied, "We'll be prepping for combat just in case, Sir." Bowley nodded and then saluted the two and they returned the gesture. "Get to it than boys." "Yes Sir." The two replied. Bowley watched as the two Spartan's left the bridge. He looked back out towards Aurora and said to himself. "It's a good thing I never pissed her off while he was still in cryo, she woulda killed him."

The two walked past the crewman and back to the elevator. Kalder hit Deck 27. The elevator began to descend. "How bad do you think things are gonna get?" "What do you mean?" Eric asked. Kalder replied, "Well, should Aurora get attacked. I've never been on Aurora before so I don't know what it's gonna be like should we go down there…" Kalder was cut off by Commander Bowley's voice over the ships COM. "Attention, all crew, slip space rupture on the edge of the system. Head to battle stations Now!" "Wow!" Eric called out. "Irony!" The elevator stopped and the doors hissed open. This deck was empty. It was where the private armory was located. Only a select few got to use this armory. The two walked out and the lights went black. A few seconds later the red emergency lights came on. "We're running dark?" Kalder asked. Eric ran to a view port on the side of the ship. He looked out and said. "I think it's a good thing where running dark." Kalder walked over to see what Eric was talking about. He looked out and saw one of the largest Covenant Capitol ships he had ever seen. Eric nudged Kalder away from the window. "C'mon, let's get to the armory."

The two ran towards the armory. Commander Bowley came on over their COM's. "Spartans, the Covenant are trying to established an orbit above Aurora and are heading for its capitol city of Eclipse. Once you're finished in the armory get to drop bay 72-D. I have a map of Eclipse set up in the armory for you once you get in there. It will have marked locations of your landing zone and your rendezvous point." Kalder cut in. "Sir, before you give us the rest, can you please tell us what our mission is once we get down there?" Bowley replied, "Your mission is simple boys, stop any Covenant that you see. Odds are their going to head planet side, and you know as well as I do that we won't let them turn Aurora into another Reach." The COM cut out. "Not much for details is he?" Kalder asked.

After a five minute run, the two made it to the armory. The ships COM was constantly filled with the chatter of Commander Bowley and the other higher ranked Officers giving out orders for troops to start deploying down to the surface. This armory was under strict lock down. Only a select few on the ship were granted access to this armory. There were two orbs of transparent blue light on both sides of the door. It required an A.I. in each to open. Kalder and Eric both placed their hands on the orbs allowing their A.I.'s to grant them access to the armory. Their hands sparked with golden static as there A.I.'s interfaced with the computer. There was a beep and the doors hissed open.

The two slowly walked in. The armory was huge; rows upon rows of weapons, ammo palates, vehicles, and explosives. In the center of the room was an immense holographic map of the city of Eclipse. The city was huge; countless skyscrapers that rose for hundreds of stories, and smaller structures covered every square inch of the land; and Eclipse's most stunning feature was the immense structure that spanned the entire length of the city. The Arch as it was called. Its sleek curved design provided the power for the city by taking energy from the aurora borealis that dominated the sky.

The two walked over and looked at the holographic cityscape. Cars and people walked the streets. The map was clearly a moving image of what was going on in the city. "Shit." Kalder said. "This place is huge." Eric replied without looking away from the map. "I know, it's going to be nothing but close combat down there." Eric studied the map. He saw a blue circle around what looked like a small park on the edge of the city. "There's our LZ." Eric said as he continued to study the map. "Not a lot of room for a landing. And we don't even know how many other people are going down with us." "Where do we go after landing?" Kalder asked. Eric took his helmet off and inserted Yuna's chip into the map. He said, "Yuna, show us our mission objective and parameters please." Eric heard Yuna's voice say, "Acquiring information." There was a pause. "Done." She said cheerfully. Eric pulled his long blue hair behind his ear and leaned in to the map. A red line appeared from the LZ that led to the city center. Eric looked to Kalder. "Commander Bowley gave us a direct link to the city center. It will be a long trek there. We're gonna need a Warthog or a Scorpion." Eric walked over to the weapon racks. "Oh, and by the way Kalder…" Kalder looked to Eric. Eric grinned. "I'm driving." Kalder groaned. "I never get to drive!"

Eric walked over to an ammo palate. He saw his old friend, the MA5B Assault Rifle. He never liked the new MA5C. Half the clip was never something he liked. He preferred the 60 round clips over the 32; twice the bullets, twice the Covenant to kill. The next thing he grabbed was the 8 Gauge Shotgun. A new feature the weapons techs came up with was the razor shell. Standard 8 Gauge shotgun shells loaded with razor sharp buckshot. A guaranteed Brute kill with one close range shot. Eric loaded up as many clips as he could carry.

Kalder grinned evilly as he picked up his S2AM Sniper Rifle. He was one of the best snipers in the SPARTAN program. He had learned his skills from his childhood crush, Linda, SPARTAN-58. He also chose to bring the 8 Gauge. Both he and Eric were wizards at one-two kills on enemies. They would charge an enemy and shoot it at point blank with a shotgun. Usually and Elite would go down in one shot but for Brutes, the two would rush them, shove the barrel of their weapons into the aliens stomachs, pull the trigger then as fast as lightning melee the poor sons a bitches before they could scream in pain.

While stowing a few grenades, Eric heard Yuna panic. "Eric! Kalder! Get to the map ASAP!" Eric and Kalder quickly ran to the large hologram of the city. "What's wrong Yuna?" Eric asked. He heard her disembodied voice say stunned, "They're breaching the atmosphere and heading planet side." Eric and Kalder looked at the map. On the streets they could see civilians running in a panic, and then a sleek angular shadow crept over the city. "Holy shit." Kalder uttered. The Capitol Ship that had recently come through slip space was now hovering over Aurora's largest city. Eric quickly put his helmet back on then yanked Yuna from the map. He put her back in his neural implant. She came online and Eric said, "See, I remembered you this time." "Gee thanks." She said sarcastically.

Eric and Kalder left the armory. Their next task was to report to drop bay 72-D. The two ran at full tilt. Despite their enhanced speed, it was still a six minute run across the massive ship to the drop bay. When they arrived, there was no one else there. Commander Bowley's own A.I. named Rika came on over the ships loud speaker. "Spartan's please be seated in drop pods numbers one and two. When you land your orders are to get to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible. Covenant troops are already starting to land so expect a hot landing. Also, only help civilians if it's absolutely necessary. Don't stop for anything that could slow you down. Your objective for this mission is to get to the rendezvous point, and worry about survivors later. Understood?" "Yes Ma'am." Eric and Kalder said. "Good luck, and be careful down there."

The Spartans walked over to their drop pods. Kalder held out his fist. "See you planet side." Eric punched his fist. "Have a good drop." Kalder hopped into his pod and sat down. Eric watched as the hatch on Kalder's pod closed. Eric looked at his pod. He sighed and sat down uneasily. He hated riding in drop pods with a passion. The feeling of free fall was something he never enjoyed, and the feeling of no control was something he hated, and the fact that he screamed like a little bitch when he experienced his first hot drop at age ten. The other Spartans still never let him live that one down. He hit the small flashing red button on the inside of his pod and the door closed.

Kalder opened his COM to Eric. "Hey Eric, you gonna out scream me in this one?" There was a sharp yet quick reply of, "Fuck you!" from Eric which made Kalder laugh. Mitsuki came on through Kalder's helmets speakers. "You really shouldn't tease him about that you know." She said softly. Kalder replied, "I know, but it's the one thing that I have against him that I don't plan to let him live down." Mitsuki sighed. "Honestly, you can be so rude at times."

Rika's voice came on over the speakers in the drop bay. "Prepare for hard drop. Launching in 3, 2, 1, mark." The drop pod rapidly started to descend. Eric tensed and gripped the arm rests on his seat. Yuna spoke. "You really don't like these drops do you?" "No, not really!" Eric said nervously. Yuna laughed. "Want mommy to hold your hand?" Eric said back, not moving from his tense position. "Do you always have to make me look like a pansy when I ride in these things?" Yuna replied, "I call it pay back for nearly forgetting me AGAIN!" "I told you I was sorry." The drop pod shuddered violently as it caught the edge of the planet's atmosphere. Eric again tensed and said nervously, "But yeah, if that offer still stands, you can hold my hand."

"HOOOOORAHHH!!" Kalder shouted as his pod went sailing off into the blackness of space. He opened his COM to Eric. "Dude! How can you not love this? You've done this a shit load of times before." All Kalder heard was Eric reply sharply, "SHUT! UP!" Mitsuki asked Kalder, "How can YOU like this so much?" Kalder said, "I just like the feeling of weightlessness." Kalder pulled up Eclipse's map up on his helmets HUD. He had never dropped into a city this large before. Come to think of it, he had never fought in a city this large before. Eclipse was easily five times as large as Earth's largest city of Tokyo and just as and if not more crowded. He knew one thing for sure; he was in for one hell of a battle.

Eric looked at the small view port on the door of his pod. It shone a bright neon green that morphed into pink and finally into a cool electric blue. "We must be heading through the aurora field." He thought to himself. There was a rumble and a flash of red. Aurora's atmosphere was beginning to show itself. A few minutes later his drop pod passed through the atmosphere. There was a hard jerk as his pods air foil was deployed. Kalder felt a hard thud and a loud snap was heard. "What the hell?" He thought. He simultaneously heard Mitsuki and Yuna yell to him. "Air Foil failure! You're in free fall!" Eric opened his COM to Kalder. "Kalder, get ready to over pressurize your jell layer and brace for extreme impact. Just sit tight and…" Eric felt a huge thud against his drop pod. "Yuna! Assessment!" Yuna replied, "Covenant Banshees firing on us." Eric's pod rapidly started to accelerate. "Air Foil destroyed!"

Eric felt another thud. The metal on the inside of his drop pod was beginning to glow red. "Shit!" he said to himself. "This is why I hate these damn things!" Eric braced his back against the wall of the drop pod and forcefully kicked at the door. The metal clanged and creaked from the sheer force of an adrenaline filled Spartan kicking at it. The door eventually gave out and popped off revealing a vast city landscape rushing up towards him.

Eric stood up at the edge of the door. Yuna said, "Eric... you wouldn't." Eric flexed his knees and leaned back. "You couldn't!" Yuna argued. Eric forced himself forward and jumped from his pod. "You would..." Yuna said slightly annoyed.

"God, no wonder he hates hard drops so much." Kalder said as he braced for impact. "Impact in twenty seconds. I'm preparing to over pressurize your jell layer. Don't worry; I'm going to make sure you get out of this one." Mitsuki said in the most calm voice she could manage. She said again, "Ten seconds. Where going to go through some buildings. Brace yourself." Kalder heard a tremendous bang. He heard the sound of metal twisting and couldn't help but scream in fear. He felt his suit constrict around him. His jell layer over pressurized and Kalder blacked out.

Eric was now in open air free fall. He looked back in time to watch a Banshee's fuel rod cannon completely destroy his drop pod. He did his best to keep calm. "Y-Yuna, be prepared to over pressurize my suit right before I impact. I'm going to try and slow myself down as much as I can." Yuna told him soothingly. "Don't worry; I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Eric saw a Banshee flying below him. He got an idea. He laid his body flat and aimed down. He rapidly picked up speed. He only had one shot at this; he had to make this one count.

Eric came down hard on the Banshee. The vehicle shuddered from the sudden weight change. Eric began to slide off. He frantically looked for something to grab onto. No good. There was nothing to grab onto on the vehicles smooth purple alloy. He slid off and quickly grabbed onto the wing of the vehicle. The pilot began swerving in the air trying to shake him loose. "Hang on Eric!" Yuna yelled with worry. The Banshee suddenly nose dived. "Oh not good!" Eric yelled. The Banshee nose dived easily breaking the sound barrier. Eric held on for dear life. When the vehicle reached the top levels of the sky scrapers it made a sharp upward motion. The sudden change in velocity nearly dislocated Eric's shoulders. His grip loosened and he was sent sailing towards the ground at a diagonal direction. At least it wouldn't be a direct impact.

Eric faced his back towards the ground. He grinned his teeth and shut his eyes in fear. "Hang on!" Yuna yelled. Eric felt an extremely hard hit on his back. He saw fragments of glass; dry wall and other materials fly past him. He had gone through a building. His decent was rapidly slowed and his vision blurred from the sudden change in speed. The last thing he heard was Yuna yell "I'm going to save you!" Then there was a hard impact and everything went black.

(There's chapter 1. I hope you like cliff hangers, because I make a lot of them. Chapter 2 will be posted ASAP. Rate and review. Thanx)


	2. SEPERATED

Ok, I'm back with chapter 2. And before we begin, I'd like to point out that this takes place before Halo 3 so yes, where still against the Elites. Just incase, I thought I'd bring that to your attention so I don't get the review from a random person telling me the obvious that where not against them anymore. Aside from that, Enjoy .

(CHAPTER 2) SEPERATED

(FLASHBACK)

Eric and Kalder were 18 and 19 at the time. Both were in there older suits of MJOLNIR Mark V. The two walked into Dr. Halsey's office. She had told them to just wait patiently until she arrived. After a while of sitting in her office, the two noticed the pictures she had hung up on her walls. She had what looked like family pictures hanging beside her desk. One picture in particular caught the boy's attention. It was a picture of two rather beautiful looking girls. One who seemed to be the intellectual type. She seemed timid and had shorter hair and wore glasses. Behind her was a much more high spirited girl with stunningly long hair, hugging the other from behind while winking at the camera. Kalder and Eric both stood up and went over for a closer look. Kalder gave a whistle and said to Eric. "This girl with the glasses is beautiful." Eric replied. "Yeah, but this one here with the long hair is gorgeous!"

Neither of the two young Spartan's heard Dr. Halsey come in. They were to busy ogling the two girls in the picture. Dr. Halsey stood behind the two. They easily towered over hear by at least two feet. However, that fact didn't stop her from smacking both of the Spartans over the head with her clip board. After two simultaneous thuds and "Ow's", the two Spartans turned to see Dr. Halsey with a rather annoyed look on her face. She shook her head. "I ask you to sit patiently and wait, and I come in and find you two swooning over my two granddaughters. You men." Kalder replied, "What? Not our fault there both hot." Eric punched Kalder in the shoulder. Kalder replied quickly. "I mean! You have two very attractive granddaughters ma'am."

Dr. Halsey looked at the two Spartans and shook her head. She sighed and said. "As you know, you're both here to be matched with A.I.'s. You two are second and third highest ranked in the SPARTAN program, therefore it is only necessary that you two receive A.I.'s that suit your rank. Even though I still can't figure out with your level of maturity how you boys got to those ranks. Aside from that lets get started shall we?"

Dr. Halsey tore a page off of her clip board. "Well obviously, we won't need this match up sheet." She walked over two her desk. In a locked compartment she pulled out two chips, one glowing green the other glowing blue. Dr. Halsey said. "Boys, these two A.I.'s I have here are modeled after my granddaughters. Ironically, I hadn't planned on you two actually being attracted to them to begin with." Dr. Halsey turned away and mumbled to herself. "God I'm blind for not seeing that one from the beginning." She regained her composure and continued. "I didn't want to give them to just anyone. And I'm guessing that it would have been pointless to give you two A.I.'s modeled after men. I had nearly forgotten you two are always trying to flirt with the girls in the SPARTAN program."

Dr. Halsey pushed a small button on the top of her desk and two holo panels appeared. She said as she loaded the chips into there slots. "I wanted too give these girl's to Spartan's that I know will take proper care of them. Not just because there modeled after my own family but because these two girl's are very special. They have abilities that even Cortana doesn't have. Faster processing speed, the ability to disguise themselves to take on the appearance of a Covenant A.I. without them being any wiser, and most important of all, they have the ability to bring you back from death."

Eric asked. "How is that possible Ma'am?" Dr. Halsey replied, "They were programmed with the newest Nano Technology. They have the ability to dispatch Nanites that can flow through your entire body in under 3 seconds. Once the Nanites are fully circulated, they repair any damaged or critically wounded areas of your body and can even repair the black layer of your armor in seconds. They even have the power to make your heart start beating once it has stopped. However, the Nanites can only work 3 times. After they have went past there life expectancy, they deactivate."

"So they can only save us three times and after that they can't anymore?" Kalder asked. "No," she replied, "they can for as long as the A.I. is functioning. However, once the 3 cycles are finished, you're A.I. will have to go through a recharge cycle where they are refitted with more of the Nanites." "Ok, I understand now." Kalder said. "Good." Dr. Halsey said with a smile.

Dr. Halsey walked back over to her desk. She hit a small glowing green button on one of the holo panels. The holo panel emitted a flash and a figure appeared surrounded by rings of glowing green light. She looked just like the girl from the picture with the shorter hair and glasses and dressed in a neatly kept school uniform. "Good morning Dr. Halsey." The A.I. said with a small quiet smile. "Good morning." Dr. Halsey replied. She looked to Kalder. "Kalder, I'd like you to meet Mitsuki. She will be you're A.I." Kalder approached the holo panel. He knelt down to Mitsuki's level. He smiled and said. "Hello Mitsuki." Mitsuki blushed and returned the greeting.

Dr. Halsey stepped forward. She said to the A.I. "Mitsuki, Kalder is one of the best snipers in the UNSC. It's rare that Kalder takes many critical hits from an enemy so your safety is just about granted." Mitsuki wasn't much for words. Even for an A.I. she was unusually quiet and somewhat shy around people she had never seen before. She managed a small. "I look forward to working with you Kalder." Dr. Halsey yanked Mitsuki's chip and handed it to Kalder. She told him. "Just be nice to her. Even though she is just a program, she is very sensitive and can be a bit timid if spoken to, too harshly." Kalder smiled under his visor and said. "She'll be safe with me Ma'am. Kalder inserted the chip into the base of his skull, he felt an icy cold feeling wash over his mind as Mitsuki interfaced with him. He heard a timid voice greet him. "Hello again Kalder." "Hello Mitsuki." Kalder again said politely.

Dr. Halsey hit the button on the second holo panel. A flash of blue glittery light appeared followed by the figure of the other girl from the picture. The second A.I. ran her hand through her stunningly long sky blue hair and flipped it back. She looked up at Dr. Halsey and put her hands on her waist and cocked her hips sassily. She said as she winked. "Hello Dr. Halsey. Dr. Halsey looked at Eric.

"Eric, I'd like you to meet Yuna. She will be you're A.I." Eric approached her. He towered over her. Yuna had to look straight up to see his faceless helmet. "Would you mind kneeling for me please." Yuna asked politely. Eric kneeled down. Yuna looked up and down his armor. Eric had recently returned from an intense battle against an army of Covenant that where attacking a smaller colony. The recent scrimmage had left his armors blue alloy dinged dented and marked with countless scuffs and scratches. Yuna said to him. "You seem like the reckless type." Eric cocked his helmet. Yuna turned to Dr. Halsey. "Are you honestly pairing me with this one?" Dr. Halsey replied. "Don't you like him? Eric is one of the bravest out of all the Spartans. Not to mention he's a crack shot with a shotgun and the assault rifle. His skills are second best only to Number 117." Yuna argued, "But look at him! His armor is beat up, he'll probably do something to get us both killed and how can you be sure he'll take proper care of me. He'll probably be the type that would forget to get me before he goes on a mission." Eric cut in. "My armor is in this condition because of what I'm ordered to do, and I try to keep myself from doing stupid things while in battle and above all, I would never forget to get you before I went on a mission Yuna." Yuna made a "Hmm." noise. She looked at Eric. She said, "Can you at least take your helmet off so I can see you?" "I guess." Eric said as he pulled his helmet off. His suit hissed as it decompressed. He pulled his helmet off and shook out his shockingly long electric blue hair.

Yuna's pale complection on her face showed a hint of color. She was blushing. She gasped and quickly hid her face with her hands and turned to Dr. Halsey. She quickly said. "I guess this one will do." Yuna disappeared back into her chip. Dr. Halsey smiled as she yanked Yuna's chip. She handed it to Eric. She said to him. "Sorry about that. Yuna can be high spirited sometimes and can be a bit "Sassy." Don't worry though, she likes you, I can tell." Eric looked at Yuna's glowing blue chip. He laughed a little to himself. "Oh well. How bad could she be?" Eric inserted Yuna's chip into his neural implant. He felt the icy cold sensation wash over his mind as she interfaced with him. Eric put his helmet back on and his suit recompressed around him. He said. "Um, hi Yuna." Yuna's only reply was. "It's very empty in here."

(END FLASHBACK)

1800 Hours, October 15, 2552 (Military Calendar) /

Aurora Capitol City of Eclipse, South East Suburb Division

The metal hatch creaked open on Kalder's drop pod. Kalder groggily stepped out. He groaned. Something in his chest hurt like hell. "Easy." Mitsuki warned. "You have a cracked rib. I've deployed your first round of Nanites to repair some internal bleeding and there currently working on your rib. They almost have it completely healed but you will have some minor discomfort until then." Minor was an understatement. Kalder's chest felt like there was a knife stuck in it.

Kalder stood up. He looked around. All he saw was twisted metal, smoke and debris. He stammered, "Mitsuki…, status." She replied, "Where currently seventeen stories up. You managed to crash land in a building." Kalder looked up. A hole extending at least twenty levels of the building sat over head of him. Mitsuki reported. "We fell at terminal velocity. The building we landed in did well for absorbing most of the impact, however, the sudden decrease in velocity did a number on your internal organs and knocked you out for a good hour. That's why the Nanites are deployed in you right now."

Kalder held onto his side. It still hurt. He uttered. "Two uses left huh? That's more then enough. I wont be needing them anyways." Mitsuki sighed. Kalder's high and mighty attitude always made her nervous. It was bound to get him killed one day. "Mitsuki, what's Eric and Yuna's status?" She replied, "I lost contact with them once we hit. However, I've been tracking Yuna's signal. She's currently 5.6 miles to the east of us. But as for there status, I have no idea."

Kalder found his sniper rifle. He picked it up and slung it on his back. He pulled his shotgun up stood and looked for an exit. "We had better get moving then." Kalder walked over to an elevator. He tapped the button a few times. He groaned. "Damn, no power." He looked over and saw a stair well. He walked in and descended several levels. He froze, he heard the sound of foot steps a few levels below.

Eric lay unconscious in a small crater in a back alley created by his hard fall. Yuna tried to wake him by calling his name. It did nothing, he was out cold. Yuna did a thorough vital scan. Eric had a collapsed lung and sever internal bleeding. His jell layer managed to keep him from breaking any bones on impact but the sudden decrease in velocity did a number on his internal organs. Yuna quickly deployed Nanites throughout his system. Once she saw that his vitals were becoming stable again, she opened his COM to Kalder.

"Kalder, Mitsuki, come in." There was nothing but static. She tried again. "Kalder, Mitsuki, this is Yuna come in!" This wasn't good. Eric's armor was in partial lockdown. And until he came to, his suit would remain on standby. All she could do was wait. She said to herself, "Eric you heroic idiot."

Kalder slowly and silently crept down the stairs. He looked over the railing and saw a group of 5 Jackals. He grinned to himself. "Time for some fun." Kalder pulled out his sniper rifle. He laid himself belly down on the floor and took aim. He pulled the trigger. The 50 cal. kicked and it's round sailed straight through 3 of the 5 jackals skulls. They simultaneously fell to the floor in a pool of there slick black blood. The two remaining Jackals pulled up there weapons and surveyed the room. Kalder crept down the stairs. He watched as the two aliens both looked out of the stair well door look for the source of the attack. He snuck up behind them and with lightning quick speed grabbed the two creatures by the throat. They frantically clawed at his gloves trying to loosen his grip. Kalder held fast. He watched as the two aliens fell limp in his hand. He let them go and they flopped to the floor. Kalder kicked the bodies with the tip of his boot to make sure they were dead. He looked around to make sure no one else was in the building with him. He continued down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he came to an exit door. He opened it and peeked his head out. He saw nothing. "Mitsuki, can you give me a NAV point to Eric's location?" "Of course." She replied. A red triangle appeared on his HUD. It read 5.6 miles. Kalder groaned. "We better get moving then."

Eric awoke an hour and forty five minutes after his hard impact. The first thing he heard was Yuna's worried voice. "Eric, thank God." He gasped desperately for air to fill his collapsed lung. His suit came fully back online and he could move again. He frantically pulled his helmet off in a panic thinking it was keeping him from breathing. He heard Yuna's voice. "Eric, it's ok. Your lung was collapsed, your just getting air back in it." His lungs refilled. Eric struggled to move. Every movement hurt like hell. The pain was good, it meant he was alive. He forced himself to stand. He managed to stand in a slouched position. No good, he stammered and collapsed. "Be careful!" Yuna told him. He stammered. "I'm alright, just give me a minute." Eric tasted copper. He put his glove on his mouth. He pulled his hand away. His glove was covered in blood. The sudden impact and damage to his system caused him to bleed from his nose and mouth. He kneeled down on all fours and spat out blood. He saw an old rag lying next to a trash can. He struggled to grab it. He reached and pulled the rag over to him. He whipped the blood from his nose and mouth. He spat one last time and tossed the rag aside.

He managed to stand. He picked up his helmet and put it back on. Eric reached for his back to grab his assault rifle. It was gone. "Shit!" He cursed to himself. It must have flew off during that fall. He turned back to the crater that he made when he hit. He sighed with relief when he saw the butt of his shotgun sticking up. He walked over to grab it. He looked down at it and cursed. He had landed on his primary weapon when he landed. The matte black alloy of the weapon was bent in an arch formation. Eric picked it up and pulled the shells out of the chamber. He could use them later if he found another shotgun. And he wasn't about to let unspent razor shells go to waist.

Eric clicked open his COM. "Kalder, are you there?" Kalder was 3.8 miles away from his location. Kalder heard his COM crackle with static. He managed to hear Eric. "Eric, bout time! Where in the hell are you?" Eric replied. "I landed hard in a back alley somewhere. Yuna gave me a NAV point showing me where you are. I'm getting ready to meet up with you."

"Understood," Kalder answered. "Mitsuki and I are fighting are way to you as fast as we can." "How much Covenant have you ran into?" Eric asked. "We've run into a lot but half of them aren't interested in us. All of the one's I've seen have been heading towards the downtown area." "Eric looked around. He hadn't seen any Covenant. Either way, this was good; he could make it to Kalder then to the rendezvous point relatively easy. He looked up. It was getting to be early evening. The sky was becoming a vivid mosaic wave of color that danced over the massive arch structure that hung over the city. As impressive s the auroras were, he had a job to do. "Kalder, stick to the back alleys and side streets. Don't get caught in an open area." "Right," Kalder responded.

"We better get going to." Yuna told him. Eric heard a rumble. He looked up and saw 10 Phantoms flying in a V formation heading towards the city center. "This ones gonna be fun." Eric said to no one in particular.

Kalder clicked off his COM. He looked at his NAV point. He had a ways to go yet. His radar blipped. Two red dots were walking towards his position. Kalder ducked in a back alley. He crouched and remained absolutely still. He glanced up and saw two Elites walk past him. Both in low rank blue armor. Kalder with lightning fast speed butted the one alien in the head with his shotgun and then swiftly reached around the others neck and broke it. Two easy kills for him. He said to himself. "No challenge. I need something harder. A few hunters would be fun about now." He heard Mitsuki sigh. "You know, all this reckless behavior is going to get us both killed one day." Kalder replied, "You worry too much. You know I'm untouchable." Mitsuki argued. "You mean just like the time you got shot three times when Reach was under attack, and the time you managed to mistake a Covenant drop ship for a Pelican. I'm still trying to figure that one out." Kalder groaned. He hated when she was right.

Eric walked towards the end of the alley. He heard the sounds of automatic weapon fire far in the distance. Good, the marines were already deploying. He emerged on a small street lined with shops and a few vending machines. He looked to his right and saw a lone scarlet armored Elite heading towards the downtown area. He had two options, wait for the Elite to walk away then move on or he could sneak up behind it and kill it for its weapon. He sat and thought. Yuna spoke. "You already know your gonna kill it so go do it already." Eric looked around. He saw a sharp edge piece of metal lying on the ground. He picked it up. It would make a perfect makeshift shiv. Eric crept up behind the elite in a crouched position. The Elite was busy looking over a small holo pad it was using to survey the area.

As Eric crept forward Yuna said to him. "Eric, I know your never one to back down from a fight but please, be careful." He whispered back, "You worry too much, you know I can take down an Elite weapon or no weapon." "Yeah but…" Yuna was cut off my by sound of Eric pulling the aliens head back and slicing its throat open. "Never mind…" Yuna said annoyed. Eric watched as the Elite clutched its throat and gasped for air. It slowed its movements then died. Eric found its plasma rifle and four plasma grenades. He picked up the rifle. One Hundred percent charged. Good. He had a weapon that would last him for a little while.

Kalder slipped silently passed several platoons of Covenant soldiers. He found another back alley and slipped down it. He stopped suddenly when he saw three brutes walking down the alley in the direction he was heading. Two low ranked ones and a damn Chieftain. Kalder pulled out his shotgun. He snuck up behind the Chieftain and meleed it as hard as he could in the back. It grunted in pain and fell limp to the hard ground. The other two quickly turned. Kalder with lightning speed shoved the barrel of his shotgun in the one's chest and squeezed the trigger. The razor shell sent shrapnel into the alien killing it in one shot. The Chieftain roared in anger. Kalder quickly shoved the barrel of the shotgun into its mouth and pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang and the brutes head disappeared in a shower of blood, brain and bits of bone. "Never was much for clean kills were you?" Mitsuki asked. "Nope." Kalder told her.

Kalder ran out of the alley. This end of the city was up on a hillside. From up here he got a good view of the city skyline. He looked over and saw Eric's NAV marker. Good, he knew exactly where he was now. Kalder caught something in the corner of his eye. Up in the sky heading towards the city were five Covenant Destroyers that were getting ready to pass over where Eric was located. "Oh shit!" Kalder said to himself. "Mitsuki! Open a direct COM to Eric and Yuna and warn them!" Mitsuki replied. "I can't, interference from the incoming destroyers is jamming my communications." Kalder looked on. "God I hope he sees them coming."

Eric was walking with his back against the walls of the shops that lined the streets. It was an eerie quiet as he walked. All the stores still had there lights on and looked like they would be functioning normally, however the lack of civilians around and him being by himself in a huge city made him feel unusually uncomfortable. "Stop a second Soldier Boy." Yuna said with an unusual seriousness. It was never unusual for her to call him by a nick name but this time was different. She sounded worried. Yuna rarely ever sounded as worried as she did right now. "What's wrong?" Eric asked. She replied in an uneasy tone. "Eric, I need you to walk down that side alley and I need you to remain still." A red triangle appeared on his HUD. Yuna continued. "Hurry, go to that NAV marker and…" Eric cut her off. "Yuna, what's going on?" "ERIC PLEASE! Just go." Eric sighed. "All right." Eric walked down the alley and stood in a semi crouched position where the NAV point told him to.

Something was wrong. Eric held up his plasma rifle and surveyed the area. Nothing. The ground began to shake. "What the hell?" Eric mumbled. A bright purple light began to shine. It couldn't be from the auroras, not even they were that bright. The shaking got worse. "Yuna, what the hell is going on?" She said in a harsh tone. "Just hang on!" Eric's shields popped and flared an extremely bright red. "What the hell!?" Eric yelled. The area around him began to glow an intense orange. Every structure surrounding him suddenly burst into flame. "HOLY SHIT!!" Eric yelled. He started to run from his position. "NO!!" Yuna yelled. "Stay there! If you move where both dead!"

The fire surrounding him intensified. His suits alarms screamed and his suits internal temperature skyrocketed. The ground beneath his feet became soft and began to melt. Eric looked up and saw a bright purple beam slam the area a few streets down. The Covenant was starting to glass the city. Eric looked down at his feet again. He was surrounded by flame and the ground beneath him was becoming molten. His shields remained bright red and for the most part his suit looked undamaged. There was a thunderous bang and Eric was sent sailing back. He yelled, "YUNA!!!" He heard her say, "Just hang on!" Eric felt something hard slam into him and he blacked out.

Ok, there's chapter 2. And yes, I end in cliff hangers. It's my thing . Anyways, hope you like it so far. Please review and tell me what you think.


	3. UNKNOWN LAND

It's been a while but I'm back with Chapter 3. The action is going to really start picking up from here on out. So yeah, just because the first few chapters were a little on the slow side doesn't mean the whole story will be like that. (Plot development people, plot development)

Also to Orion Khan: Just because Cortana was a main character in the Halo series doesn't mean that she can be the only A.I. who's the best. And you said I should update Cortana so she would match Yuna and Mitsuki. Well, I regret to inform you, but Cortana isn't even going to be in this story.

Ok, enough of my rambling. Onto Chapter 3!!!

(CHAPTER 3) UNKNOWN LAND

Eric groaned. He lifted up his head and realized he was lying on his back. He sat up and heard the sound of glass breaking all around him. He looked down at his suit. He was sunken in shards of ashen colored glass that reflected the waves of color of the auroras that loomed over head. Eric slowly sat up and then stood. Every movement he made was followed by the sound of glass breaking. He looked around, everywhere he looked he saw nothing but broken glass shards. The area of the city he was in was gone, however, the sounds of emergency sirens and weapons fire could still be heard in the distance.

"Yuna, status?" He said with a weak voice. Yuna replied. "You just survived the Covenant glassing the area we were in." Eric looked at his suit. It looked untouched, minus the scuffs it received on his impact. "Yuna, how did I survive, and what happened to my shields?"

"I altered your shields to temporarily deflect thermal radiation. It did a number on your suits fusion pack, needless to say we shouldn't do that too often." Yuna explained. Eric looked at his shield meter on his HUD, it looked normal. "Are my shields still the same as they were before now?" He asked. She replied, "Yes, everything in your suit is back to normal."

Eric looked around. The alley that once surrounded him was gone. All that surrounded him now, was at least a five mile wide stretch of glassed city. Yuna asked softly, "You're wondering why I told you to hide back here, right?" Eric replied, "That would answer some of my questions." Yuna answered, "I told you to go hide in that back alley because that location was the minimum safe distance from the plasma beam that glassed the surface. Had you been ten feet closer, the radiated heat would have punched though the thermal barrier I surrounded you with."

Eric had one final question for her. "Hey Yuna." Yuna made a soft "Hmm" noise. "Why didn't you tell me about this before it all happened?" She replied, "Because you would have done something stupid that would have got us both killed." Eric was baffled. "What makes you think I would have done something stupid in a dangerous situation like that?" Yuna sighed. "Oh lord he's stupid." She said to herself. "Eric, I know you better then that."

Eric heard static on his COM channel. He heard Kalder's voice. "Eric, come in!" Eric replied. "I read you Kalder." Kalder spoke in utter disbelief. "How in the hell did you survive that!? Wait, don't answer that. More importantly, what's your status?" Eric responded. "I'm good. I just gotta meet up with you. I still have our rendezvous point on my HUD so I'll meet you there." "Understood." Kalder responded. "See you soon. Out."

Eric looked for his plasma rifle. It was gone. He sighed and turned on his helmets flash light. It was nearly night fall now and the city was now baithed in the color of the auroras. Needless to say, the constant color shifts on the glassy surface did little help for him in finding his weapon. He looked around and saw a purple sheen under some slabs of glass. He punched the glassy surface and broke through. He sighed and mumbled to himself, "Figures." He had found his weapon, however, the heat had reduced it to a useless chunk of purple slag. "Shit." He cursed to himself. He looked at his HUD. Kalder's NAV marker was now three miles away. He started walking. The sooner he met up with his teammate the better. This wasn't the type of mission he wanted to go solo on.

Kalder stopped. He had done nothing but nonstop running and fighting for a good two hours. The constant stopping and scrimmages with the Covenant was slowing him down. He had been forced to drop his shotgun after spending all its rounds. Not something he would willingly do but in this case it needed to be done. Since dropping his second favorite weapon, he had gone through constant plasma rifles and spikers. Kalder looked around and saw no one. He then checked his motion tracker. All clear. He looked around and saw a super market. He sighed with relief. He needed a drink. He walked in the store, it was deserted. Not surprising. He had a carbine with him. He pulled it up and surveyed the area. It looked clear. He lowered his weapon and walked in. The sound of mall music played over the stores speakers. Apparently the owners left without locking up and shutting everything off. Kalder didn't blame them. He found a drink cooler and pulled out a soda bottle with the words G Fuel written on it.

"What are you doing?" Mitsuki asked. "I'm thirsty." Was his response. She sighed. Kalder walked up to the register. No one was there. He found a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote. "I.O.U. for a bottle of G Fuel. Kalder-73"

He took his helmet off and sat down on the floor with his back against the check out. He needed a break. He drank his soda and thought. He thought he had witnessed Eric's death. He shook his head. He knew Eric was still alive but it was just the thought of loosing another one of his fellow Spartans that made him uneasy. Kalder heard a boom. The building shook. "That one was close." He thought to himself.

The power flickered. Kalder drank the rest of his soda then tossed the bottle aside. He grabbed his helmet and put it back on and walked for the exit. He raised his carbine to firing position. The sliding doors slid open and Kalder slowly walked out. He saw no one. He glanced at his motion tracker, all clear. He lowered his weapon slightly and walked out. He started to walk down the street towards the rendezvous point. He heard a growl behind him and the sound of something running in the distance. The footsteps sounded heavy. He quickly spun on his heel and raised his carbine. He saw nothing and his motion tracker was still clear. He heard running footsteps behind him. He quickly turned but saw nothing. His heart rate quickened. He nervously aimed back and forth. He anxiously asked, "Mitsuki, where's that coming from?" She quickly replied, "Scanning."

He heard Mitsuki gasp and yell, "Behind you!" Kalder felt a hard hit slam him in the back. He grunted in pain as he was sent flying to the ground. His shields died and he saw sparks fly out from under his suit as it slid along the pavement. He watched as his carbine slid along the ground far out of his reach. He turned on his back in time to see a brute come out of its active camo. He had no time to reach for a weapon and he was too stunned to move. Kalder tried to sit up and move but the brute slammed him hard to the ground and pinned him down with its large foot. Kalder saw what was coming. The brute pulled out its brute shot and held its large bayonet over Kalder's throat. Right as the brute brought it down, Kalder quickly reached up and held onto the butt of the weapon with his hand. He held firm with all his strength. The brute pressed down harder and the butt of the weapon slipped from his grip and the large blade slid across Kalder's glove cutting through the black layer of his suit like tissue paper and then sinking into his hand. He yelled out in pain but held firm.

The brute tried to get him to loosen his grip. It forcefully moved the blade of the weapon against Kalder's hand. Kalder yelled out in pain as his blood poured down his arm. He heard Mitsuki yell, "Hang on!" Kalder felt his shields pop. A blinding white flash flared from his suit and the brute went stumbling backwards. Kalder quickly got up and grabbed the brute shot. He aimed at the stunned alien and popped off several rounds. The brute grunted in pain as the weapons rounds detonated and tore the beast apart.

Kalder dropped the brute shot on the ground and fell to his knees and looked at his hand. It hurt like hell. He peeled the black layer back slightly. He hissed in pain. He saw that the blade tore through his hand all the way down to his carbonized bone. He uttered out, "That hurt." He felt his hand tingle. Mitsuki quietly said, "I'm deploying your second round of Nanites. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you sooner. Forgive me." She sounded upset. Kalder looked at his hand. The wound slowly closed and the black layer on his glove repaired itself. Kalder thought to himself. "Only one use left, then it's back to basics." "Do you feel better?" Mitsuki asked solemnly. Kalder replied as he flexed his hand, "I'm fine and don't beat yourself up like that. Those damn brutes are sneaky. And it's not your fault they decided to take on the wrong person. And by the way, how did you get that brute off of me?" Mitsuki quietly said, "I did an EMP burst on your shields. It stunned it long enough for you to take action." Kalder smiled. "Thanks for that one."

Eric reached the edge of the glassed area. The outer edge of the destruction was lined with chard burning buildings. It was now night and the flames from the destruction made the area he was in glow a hell fire orange. It was an extremely weird feeling. He walked down the middle of an ash covered street where every building was on fire. Glowing embers fell around him like a hellish snow. He nervously asked, "Yuna, can you get me a safe route out of here?" Yuna responded a few seconds later, "Done, follow the NAV marker. It will update after you pass certain points." Eric walked. He kicked something on the ground and he saw it roll. He knelt down and picked it up. It was a spent round from an MA5C. He looked to his left and saw the dead badly burnt body of a marine. He sighed as he walked over to the fallen soldier. He had to of been instantly killed when the Covenant glassed the area. Eric carefully moved the body and found an MA5C strapped to his back. He sighed with relief. The weapons metal casing was chard and badly burnt. He picked it up and it came online which he was thankful for. The clip was at half. Eric pulled out a clip he still had left over from his drop. He fed the fresh rounds in and kept walking.

Eric saw a red blip on his radar. He quickly ran down an alley between two burning buildings. Not exactly the safest place to be but it would work until he saw what he was up against. He crouched a few feet in and waited. He saw a brute chieftain with a grav hammer strapped to its back walk past. He was about to run out and melee it in the back when he heard something it was carrying beep. Eric lowered his weapon slightly and watched. The brute pulled out a small hand held holo pad. The brute clicked a button and the image of a Prophet appeared. The brute bowed its head and said, "Noble Prophet of Redemption." The Prophet replied. "Has the area been cleared?" "Yes holy one." The Brute answered. The Prophet continued. "Excellent, I want the excavation to begin immediately."

Eric thought to himself, "Excavation?" He heard the Prophet say, "All that remains is to get rid of the final obstacle that stands in our way." He watched as the Prophet motioned towards the huge arch structure that spanned the city. Yuna spoke up. "If that maniac attacks the Arch, the city will fall. Everyone within a five thousand mile radius relies on that structure for power. And not to mention the destruction it would cause of it were attacked." Eric replied. "Then we won't let it happen." He watched as the brute ended the conversation and clipped the holo pad on its belt. Eric grinned and pulled out a plasma grenade. He primed it and threw. He watched as it sailed towards the brutes head. He quietly laughed and said to himself, "Ha-ha, Stuck!" The grenade bounced off the brute and landed on the ground and detonated. Eric cursed. "Shit, it has a power suit." The stunned brute quickly activated its temporary invincibility shielding. The brute turned and spotted Eric. It roared and pulled out its grav hammer. Eric flipped the safety off on his assault rifle. The brute charged and Yuna yelled, "Run you idiot!"

Eric got up and sprinted down the burning street kicking up ash and dust as he went. He had no chance against a brute with invincibility. He would have to wait until its shielding dropped. Eric ducked for cover in a small culvert in the side of a building. He heard something hiss followed by a clang. He looked up and saw one of the brutes spike grenades suck in the wall right next to him. There was no time to run from it. He reached out and ripped it out of the wall. It began to beep quickly. Eric ran out from his hiding spot yelled and threw it. Mere moments after it left his hand it detonated. Razor sharp shrapnel filled the air. Eric covered his face with his forearm. His shields flared gold and drained slightly.

Eric saw the brute's invincibility vanish. Now was his chance. He rushed towards the alien and unloaded his assault rifle into the chieftain. The brutes power suit crumbled and fell off its body as the armor piercing rounds tore into it. The brute roared and pulled out its grav hammer. It cocked it back and swung. Eric saw it coming and tried to dodge. The hammer hit him full force in the stomach. He grunted in pain as his body wrapped around the hammer and he felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was sent sailing back. He felt a hard hit on his back and saw burning embers all around him. His vision blurred and he heard Yuna's muffled voice calling out to him. He could slightly make out that she was frantically asking if he was all right. Eric gasped for breath and came to his senses. He refilled his lungs as quickly as he could. He mumbled out, "That hurt." He shook his head and looked around. The brute's hammer sent him into a burning building.

Eric looked down at his suit. The plate covering his stomach was damaged. The alloy was still in one piece but it had a large crack in it. Eric heard the brute coming. He looked around and found his assault rifle laying buy some burning debris. He picked it up and waited, he had a plan. He shot several rounds out of the hole he created when he impacted to get the aliens attention. It worked. The brute came through the hole and stood with its grav hammer raised. Eric smiled and said, "Hope you like it warm." Eric pulled the pin on a frag grenade and tossed it up in a hole in the ceiling. There was a loud WHAM! followed by the sound of the burning roof collapsing on top of the brute. The brute roared in pain as it was consumed by fire. When it's yells of pain stopped, Eric pulled the brute's grav hammer out of the rubble and wielded it. He grinned under his visor. Yuna asked sarcastically, "Feelin' the power are we?" Eric laughed and said, "You know it."

Eric quickly ran over the burning rubble to get back outside. His shields flared from the heat and quickly recharged. He stood outside and looked around. He could still hear the sound of automatic weapons fire deeper into the down town area. It would be a while before he would get close to any other friendlys. He still had to meet up with Kalder. He stowed the grav hammer on his back and pulled out his assault rifle. He wanted to make that hammer last as long as he could.

Eric looked to his left. He saw a pulsing pale blue light on the ground. He walked over to it. It was the holo pad the brute was carrying. He knelt down and picked it up. Its purple alloy glowed against the blue light that emitted from the device. He heard Yuna say, "Hang on a second, let me interface with this." His glove sparked gold as Yuna transferred herself into the device then back into his armor. "There," she reported. "now we'll be able to hear everything the Prophet broadcasts but he won't be able to detect us doing it."

Eric heard a roar in the sky followed by two loud booms. He looked up and saw a Longsword Fighter crashing towards the ground. He watched as a trail of smoke and flame erupted from the port side engine as the ship spiraled to the ground. The Longsword disappeared behind the remains of the brunt out structures. Eric heard a boom in the distance. He immediately said, "Yuna, track that fighter and give me its crash location." "Updating your NAV." A new NAV marker appeared on his helmets HUD.

Eric clicked open his COM. "Kalder, come in. I have a downed Longsword Fighter. I'm heading to the crash site now to look for survivors."

A few moments later, Kalder replied, "Understood, me and Mitsuki saw it go down too. It looks like it's about a half mile from your location."

Eric replied, "I'm heading there now, in the mean time, you keep heading towards me. The sooner we meet up the better."

Kalder reported, "Right, where about 45 minutes from your location. Sooner if I can make it through without to much hold up. Had a minor incident with a brute a little bit ago."

Eric laughed. "Really, you too?"

Kalder laughed back and ended there conversation. Eric looked at his NAV marker and began to follow it. He said to Yuna, "I hope there are survivors, I can't do this alone."

Kalder kept walking. He heard a sound behind him. It was a different sound though. It wasn't the sound of footsteps but more like the sound of slithering. He ignored it and kept going. He would later regret not taking action against the sound when he had the chance.

Ok, there's chapter 3 ended in yet another Cliff Hanger. Hopefully I'll get this updated within the next week or two. It all depends on how busy I am. But until then, Rate and Review and catch you guys later!

SPARTAN-145 out-


	4. TO HELL

Ok, I got chapter 4 finished tonight. Took a while to write because I kept hitting snags. Oh well, here it is for your reading pleasure. Njoy!

(CHAPTER 4) TO HELL

Eric looked ahead of him, smoke and flame erupted from the Longswords crash site. He was running full tilt through the burning hell that was the edge of the glass field. "Yuna, try to establish contact with the Longsword." Eric said as he ran. Eric heard static through his helmets speakers followed by Yuna's voice. "I can't establish a link. There's too much interference from the Cruisers." Eric groaned. This mission kept hitting snags and things seemed to be going from bad to worse. 

Eric looked at his HUD. He was a quarter mile from the Longsword. He was making good progress until he saw his radar ping. He ground to a halt causing glowing embers to kick up from under his boots. He froze and waited. He saw a yellow dot appear on his radar. He thought to himself. "Who would be crazy enough to be wandering around here?" 

He walked over to the dots location. It was coming from a building that had clearly been on fire. All that stood now was a burnt out cinder of a structure. He slowly approached the structure. Yuna cautioned him. "Be careful. The building doesn't look all that stable." Eric pulled out his grav hammer. It would make a good battering ram. He held up bulky end of the weapon and used it to break the structures door down all the while being careful not to set off the weapons forceful blow. The door crumbled and glowing embers fluttered to the floor. Eric stowed his hammer and pulled up his MA5C. He was still unsure of his contact so he wasn't taking chances. 

He slowly walked in. The structure looked as though the fire was mostly in the second floor. The house was clouded with smoke. Eric used his helmets flashlight to navigate through. He called out. "This is SPARTAN-45, help is here." He heard a groan coming from a room ahead of him. "Where are you?" Eric called out. He heard a voice wrapped with pain struggle to call out, "Help…" Eric walked into the room with his assault rifle raised. He stopped when he reached the edge of the hallway. He saw the small body of a child with shorter green hair. Eric knelt down and sighed. The boy had some second degree burns on his body. Eric put his two fingers on the child's throat hoping for a pulse, there was none. He sighed and closed the boy's eyes. Yuna said softly, "I did a vital scan on him when you felt his pulse. He was killed from smoke inhalation." Eric sighed, however he was glad that the small boy was killed by the smoke and not by the flame. 

Eric stood back up and continued into what looked like a residential living room. He scanned the room. There was less smoke in here so it was easier to see. His flashlight caught something. Eric realized what he was looking at. "Jesus Christ." He said in a panic as he ran towards his radars blips source. It was a badly burnt man. Eric knelt down next to him. The man reached his hand out struggling to move. His body was covered in second and third degree burns. The man gripped Eric's glove with his badly burnt hand. The man's eyes were puffy and tear filled. He uttered out, I tried to save them… but the floor collapsed and I fell." Eric looked up at the ceiling above them. There was a large hole and occasionally a few glowing embers would flutter down. He calmly said, "Its ok." The man continued in a sob. "My wife and baby girl… they're gone." Yuna said to Eric. "He's in shock. He's alert but in a panic." Eric was at a loss. The man struggled to breath. He continued. "I told my son to get out of the house while I went to get his mother and baby sister. Where is he!?" He frantically asked as he tried to grip Eric's chest plate. Eric couldn't answer. He knew the man's son was dead but he didn't have the heart to tell him. He had to lie. "I'm sure he got out safely."

The man seemed to drift out of thought. He looked back up at Eric and said, "You're a Spartan aren't you?" Eric nodded. The man gasped for breath and uttered out. "I want you to kill those bastards that killed my family. I want you to slaughter those Covenant assholes. Every last one of them!" Eric understood. He said lightly. "I'm going to radio for medics. There going to get you out of here. I'll stay until they arrive. Just hold on until they get here." The man shook his head. "No, no you're not. I know I'm not going to make it." The man looked at Eric and said, "Do me one last favor." The man pointed at Eric's assault rifle. Eric looked at his weapon as the man said. "Please, reunite me with my family…" Eric's jaw stiffened. He knew the medic's would never make it though the glass fields and he knew this man was dead either way. He slowly pulled up his rifle. The man closed his eyes as Eric aimed at his forehead. He uttered out, "Thank you." as Eric squeezed the trigger. There were two pops from the weapon followed by blood splattering on the soot covered wall behind the man's head. Eric's eyes were fixed on the weapons ammo counter. He could only focus on the 30 on the back of the assault rifle. 

Yuna calmly spoke. "You did a good thing for him Eric." Eric felt his suit warm and felt the jell layer constrict around his midsection. It almost felt as though arms were constricting around him. Almost as if Yuna was giving him a comforting hug. He sighed and stood. He never looked back as he walked out of the building. 

Kalder walked down a deserted street with his brute shot at firing position. He wasn't taking any more chances incase of sneak attacks. He was on high alert. Mitsuki said to him. "You need to calm down, if you're going to keep going like this you're going to get jumpy and your aim will be off." Kalder shook his head. "I'm not jumpy, I'm just being careful." The city glowed in an ever changing color from the auroras. They served him well for fighting at night.

Kalder heard static over his COM followed by the sound of a Marines voice. "I repeat, AA Battery construction has begun." There was a wave of static. "Hornet's are patrolling the area keeping the Covenant forces off of us for the most part. Also requesting additional reinforcements. The two Spartans that were supposed to rendezvous and assist went missing during hot drop and are presumed KIA." There was static and the COM went dead. Kalder groaned. "Mitsuki, can you get a COM open to that platoon?" Mitsuki replied, "I apologize, due to the interference from the Covenant cruisers, all open COM's are inaccessible." "Well how did we pick them up?" Kalder argued. "They're using a broadcasting wave from The Twilight. The only available COM channels at the moment are direct links to The Twilight and yours and Eric's encrypted COM's." Kalder groaned. Both he and Eric had been out of radio contact with other troops since they left The Twilight. And for some reason, Commander Bowley had failed to contact them once they hit planet side. "Maybe they do think we're KIA." Kalder said. 

Kalder pulled up Eric's location on his HUD. He saw that Eric was getting closer to the crashed Longsword. He clicked on his radio. "Eric, come in." Eric answered. "Yo." Kalder laughed. Eric hardly ever used military discipline while communicating. And it often got him in trouble during there training. 

"Eric, there's reports going around that where KIA. When you get to that Longsword, find its communication system and get a COM link opened up between you and The Twilight. Tell them our situation and that where advancing as fast as we can."

Eric laughed. "Us, KIA!? They wish." Eric's COM started to get interference. From the Cruisers most likely. Kalder managed to make out that Eric said, "I'm just about to the Longsword. I'll radio in as soon as I get more Intel." "Right," Kalder said, "Out." 

Kalder heard the whine of a plasma rifle not far from him. He quickly trekked down the street and ducked behind a shops advertisement on a side walk. He activated his visors scope and saw three Elites, two in scarlet armor and one in black spec opps armor followed by 4 grunts. He slung his brute shot and pulled out his carbine. He crept down the sidewalk at a quick pace keeping his back towards the shop walls. 

Kalder stopped right at the edge of a building sitting on a street corner that provided him some cover. He pulled up his carbine and looked through its scope. He saw a group of civilians being chased into the lobby of a large sky scraper. "Shit." Kalder mumbled. He sighted on a grunt that had a plasma grenade primed. Kalder quickly sighted on the blue orb and squeezed the trigger. The round struck the grenade before it left the grunts hand. It detonated killing the grunts and draining the Elites shields. "Have I ever told you that you're a fantastic sniper?" Mitsuki said. Kalder replied with a grin, "You may of mentioned it once or twice." 

Kalder sighted on one of the scarlet armored Elite's and unloaded several rounds into its head. It went down easy from its lack of shields. Kalder Sprinted out from his position and charged. The remaining Elites sent a fury of plasma fire at him. Kalder charged and unloaded on the remaining scarlet armored Elite and killed it. Kalder saw the spec opps Elite prime a plasma grenade. Kalder shot at the Elite as it tossed the device. His carbine clicked and the clip ejected. Kalder quickly tried to reload. As he tilted the weapon to feed in a fresh clip, the plasma grenade stuck to the butt end of the weapon. "Oh no way!" Kalder yelled as he grabbed the barrel of the carbine. He quickly cocked his arm back behind him and tossed it. The weapon sailed at the Elite and detonated right as it impacted on its chest plate. It grunted in pain and died as its purple blood sprayed the area it once stood in.

Kalder ran over to the building. He entered through one of the broken windows. He walked in the lobby and saw the civilians ducking in cover behind desks and tables. He told them. "It's ok, the Elites are dead." The crowd of people emerged. Kalder heard some of them gasp when they realized they had just been saved by a Spartan. 

There was a boom outside and the building shook as the power flickered. The civilians screamed in a panic. Kalder shouted. "Calm down!" The civilians went quiet. Kalder continued. "All right, I need all of you to keep calm and quiet. We don't want any more Covenant snooping around here. Now, all of you come over here by me and you'll be safe." They obeyed. As they grouped around him, Kalder realized that we was over a head taller then everyone. Kalder jumped behind the buildings front desk and opened up its computer system. He pulled out Mitsuki's chip and inserted her into its main frame. She came online and Kalder said, "Mitsuki, do a scan on the buildings scamatics and locate a bomb shelter or something." Her tiny voice replied. "Understood, give me a few moments." 

As they waited, a boy who looked around the age of 16 took notice of the brute shot slung on Kalder's back. He saw the large blade and said, "Man, that thing has to suck if you get slashed by it." Kalder looked at his glove and replied, "You have no idea." A few seconds later, Mitsuki said, "Done. There is a fallout shelter in sublevel 9." Kalder said as he removed her chip, "Thank you Mitsuki." He inserted her back into his armor and shook off the feeling of her coming online with him. He looked at the crowd of people and said, "Ok, listen up. I want you all to follow me down to the buildings fallout shelter. You'll receive further instruction when we get there." Someone spoke up. "Now wait, who in the hell made you leader, and how do we know if where even gonna be safe down there?" Kalder approached the man. Kalder being 7'2" in his battle suit towered at least a foot and a half over him. He replied, "Because, you would all be dead if I hadn't come, and it's a damned shelter meant to withstand little predicaments like this. Now I suggest you keep your voice down and do what I say." The man frowned and shut himself up. Kalder turned and walked towards the service elevator.

He opened the doors and stepped in. The elevator was large and held the group of twenty people easily. It descended into the sublevels of the sky scraper and stopped. The door opened to a concrete hallway with a large steel door in front of them with a fallout logo stenciled onto the plating. Kalder opened the heavy door and walked in. It was dark. He turned on his helmets flashlight and found a power switch. The rooms lights flickered and came on revealing a large room with more then enough supplies to last the civilians a while. Kalder found a computer system on the wall. He easily hacked into it and opened up a UNSC screen. He typed in several codes and a green light on the keyboard began to pulsate. He said, "There, I've activated a distress beacon. UNSC troops will Evac you to safety as soon as the area is secure. Until then, sit tight and wait it out." 

Kalder turned to walk to the door. Before he could leave, he felt something small grab a hold of his leg plate. He looked down to find a small girl who looked around the age of four standing before him. He turned to her and knelt down. He said calmly, "What is it little lady?" She smiled and hugged him. She said to him. "Thank you for saving us." Kalder was slightly stunned but he returned the hug. He was amazed at how small the child was compared to him. He loosened his grip from her and she smiled and ran back towards her parents. Kalder stood and left the room. As he closed the door he said, "Don't worry, you'll be heading to Evac soon." He sealed the door and boarded the service lift. He arrived back out in the lobby and exited the building. The city was bathed in a neon green light from the auroras over head. Kalder walked over to the dead Elites. He found several plasma grenades which he happily took. He also picked up two plasma rifles. Both were at 85 percent charge. He clipped them both to his leg plates. 

Kalder felt the ground rumble. "What the hell?" He said to himself. He heard a roar followed by an ear deafening bang. He looked up and saw another Covenant cruiser come out of its slip space rupture right over his head. He watched as it flew over the city's skyline towards the massive arch structure. "I don't like this Kalder." Mitsuki said nervously. "If they attack The Arch then the city will fall." Kalder told her reassuringly, "Don't worry, we wont let them." 

Eric had been moving at a quick pace. He stopped to catch his breath. He was roughly two hundred yards from the crashed Longsword. Eric heard a crash. He quickly brought up his assault rifle. He lowered it when he realized it was just a burning structure collapsing. This area was making him nervous. He felt as though he had been thrown into hell. All that surrounded him was fire and the ever falling hellish snow of burning embers. He pulled up an option on his visors HUD. He checked the areas temperature. The air temperature around him was 130 degrees Fahrenheit while the ground was boiling at 190 degrees. It was even hotter around the burning structures. 

Eric walked down what he was now referring to as the highway to hell. He saw an orange glow up ahead but ignored it thinking it was caused by the destruction around him. "Eric, stop." Yuna said. "What's wrong?" Eric asked. She continued. "I'm reading extremely high thermal radiation coming from the ground ahead of us. I don't want to take any chances so I'm going to temporarily alter you shields." Several beeps pinged through his helmets speakers as he saw his shield meter drop by a quarter. He looked down. From the bottoms of his boots to the knee plate was flaring gold. Yuna continued. "There, that will protect you and your suit from the high heat up ahead. And we haven't encountered that many Covenant so the minor shield drain shouldn't matter. I mean think about it Eric, only someone with half a brain would be wandering around here." Eric replied. "I've been wandering around here for the past hour and a half." Yuna said with a hint of sass, "I stand by my point." 

Eric continued ahead. He soon found the source of the orange glow. The ground ahead of him was glowing with a hell fire orange. The street was littered with glowing ash and debris from the surrounding structures. Occasionally small geysers of flame would erupt from the surface. Eric pulled up the temperature reading for the surface. It was scorching hot at 850 degrees. Eric mumbled. "I hope your shield idea works Yuna because if it doesn't where both screwed." She replied, "Don't worry; you know I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you." Eric eased his way ahead. He was nervous to say the least. His greatest fear had always been burning alive and this situation wasn't helping him any. He lightly tapped his boot against the glowing hot soil. The gold flair of his shields went wild against the heat but it was holding. He continued on. 

It was an eerie feeling. It felt like he was walking on the surface of hell. Every step he took he kicked up ash and flame. The ground shook slightly. Eric stopped and raised his rifle. There was a loud bang followed buy a huge plume of flame that erupted from the ground. It sent Eric off balance and he fell to the ground spewing up fire from the surface around him. His shields quickly dropped and his suits alarms screamed. Yuna yelled in a panic, "Get up! If your shields completely drain where both dead!" He quickly pulled himself back to his feet. His shields were at ten percent. His suits alarms screamed as Yuna fought to keep his shield generator from completely dieing. Eric braced himself and his heart beat raced as he waited for the recharge cycle. The several second pause felt like an eternity. He looked at his suit. The paint on it began to char and blister from the heat penetrating the minimal shielding. He closed his eyes and held his breath. He sighed with relief when he heard his shields recharge. Yuna was pissed. "Idiot! You nearly got us killed…" She stopped herself. She saw that Eric's heart rate was sky high out of adrenaline and she remembered his fear of burning to death. She knew he was shaken up. She sighed and spoke softly. "Please be more careful." Eric looked at the huge geyser of flame that nearly cost him his life. It hissed angrily and towered thirty feet in the air. Eric stiffened his composure and kept walking. 

A few moments later he heard Yuna report, "There, in that debris field. It's the Longsword!" Eric looked up. He saw it crashed in a twisted heap amongst chard burnt out shells of former buildings. Eric ran ahead kicking up embers and flame behind him. He came to cooler ground that was chard black. Yuna deactivated his thermal shielding and his shields fully recharged. He climbed up onto the wing of the Longsword. The engine was still on fire and the ships alloy around it was glowing red. He found the emergency hatch. As he went to reach for the door control something caught his eye. The alloy of the Longsword looked as though it had been hacked at. Eric ran his glove over the marks. Yuna said, "It's probably just damage from the impact." Eric said in a low voice, "No, marks like these wouldn't have happened on impact, these are claw marks." Yuna asked, "Brutes maybe?" Eric shook his head, "No, even Brute claw marks aren't that large." Eric stood back up and went over to the emergency hatch. He popped the hatch and slipped inside. 

He looked around, control panels were sparking and on fire and everything around him was bent and twisted. Eric went to the cockpit. He looked around. He found the co pilot dead. He heard a groan. He looked over at the pilot. He was alive. Eric quickly went over to the pilot. The pilot struggled to move and tried to remove his helmet. Eric pulled the pilots helmet off. The pilot had light brown hair and green eyes. Blood seeped from his nose and mouth. The pilot looked up at Eric and said, "Damn, a Spartan. Never thought I'd get to meet one." Eric replied, "Don't worry about that now. What's your name?" The pilot said quietly. "Lieutenant Mike Delarm. First air borne." 

Mike reached up and gripped the arm plate of Eric's armor. He asked frantically. "Is it gone?" Eric questioned, "Is what gone?" Mike continued, "Something ambushed us, something big. We couldn't do anything." Eric replied calmly, "Don't worry, there's nothing out there. Now come on, where getting you out of here." Mike shook his head, "I wish you could." Eric asked, "What are you talking about?" Mike looked down and Eric moved a piece of the Longswords control panel that had come loose during the crash. He pulled the panel off of Mike's lap and was shocked at what he saw. The head on impact twisted the front end of the Longsword so bad it buckled around and bisected Mike's legs on impact. Mike looked up at Eric and said weakly. "Even if you do get me out of here, there's no way I'd live long enough to get to help." Eric was at a loss for words. Mike smiled weakly as he reached in his flight suits pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Mike smiled and said, "Might as well enjoy one last smoke." Mike pulled out his lighter. He struggled to light it from his weak state. He dropped his lighter. "Damn it!" He cursed. Eric picked it up and lit it. Mike thanked him. As Mike neared the end of his cigarette he said, "Hey buddy, do me a favor, kick all there alien asses for me." Eric nodded. Mike gasped a struggled breath and went limp in his flight seat. 

Eric slowly stood. Yuna spoke softly. "Interface me with the Longsword. I'm going to try and establish contact with The Twilight." Eric pulled out her chip and slid it into a small slot on the Longswords control panel. Yuna appeared shortly after on a small holo pad. She flipped her long sky blue hair behind her and put her hand on her waist and cocked her hips. She said, "Give me a second." Yuna slowly moved her head back and forth as she thought. She eventually reported back. "I found a video log from the Longsword right before it went down." "Play it." Eric said. 

A small monitor on the ships wall lit up. Eric watched as it played. It looked like a routine flight. He watched as they started to fly over the burning glass fields. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the ship jerked violently. A quick flash of black and green flew across the front windshield. The sound of the engine exploding could be heard then the crash happened. "What the fuck?" Eric said quietly to himself. "Go back and freeze frame on what ever the hell that was on the windshield." The video rewound and froze. Eric looked at the blurry image. He mumbled to himself, "What the fuck is that?" Out of the silence came an ear deafening shriek. Eric put his hands over the sides of his helmet in an attempt to cover his ears. When the shriek stopped he quickly raised his assault rifle. He crouched down and said, "Yuna, get me a direct COM to Commander Bowley ASAP!"

Yuna calmly told him, "I'm sending a direct COM to The Twilight now. It should be fully established in about twenty seconds." Eric was looking out through the Longswords view port. He had his MA5C at the ready in case whatever it was that made that shriek decided to come back. "You need to calm down Eric, if you fight when your jumpy like this your aim is going to be off." Yuna calmly told him. She continued softly, "Now, come on and put me back in your armor. The link between here and The Twilight is almost established. You'll be able to get in touch with the Commander in a few seconds." 

Eric stood and walked over to the holo pad. He knelt down in front of Yuna. He reached his hand out and genteelly rubbed his finger against her cheek. He said, "What would I ever do without you?" A hint of color appeared on Yuna's pale face. She was blushing. She quickly regained her composure and disappeared back into the holo pad. He heard her say, "Just yank me already!" Eric cracked a smile under his visor. He yanked her chip and put her back in his armor. 

Eric walked over to the ships communication system. Hit his several buttons and a holo screen clicked on. Eric saw Commander Bowley. Bowley said, "Holy shit son, I thought you were killed during your hot drop." Eric replied, "Negative Sir, Me and Kalder made it planet side. It was anything from a smooth landing though." "I see." Bowley said. "What's your status now?" "I'm in the outer perimeter of the glass fields. Everything where I am is burning. And I've encountered minimal Covenant resistance. However, I'm in a downed Longsword that was ambushed by something." "What was it?" Bowley asked. "I'm not sure Sir, but I'm sending you a vid file now from right before the Longsword went down." Another ear deafening shriek was heard. This time it sounded like it was very close. Eric once again tried to cover his ears but it was no good with his helmet on. Bowley quickly asked, "Eric, are you ok, report!" Eric regained his composure and said, "Sir, I don't know what the hell I'm going to be dealing with but whatever it is, I'm going to kill it." Bowley nodded. "Understood son. We're still trying to get a direct COM link to you and Spartan-73 but until then, you're going to be on your own." Eric nodded. "I understand. SPARTAN-45 out." The holo panel vanished and Eric turned. He saw something on Mike's flight suit. It was his combat knife. Eric took it; it could be of some use. 

Kalder was moving very cautiously. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was following him. Occasionally, he would turn with his duel plasma rifles at the ready. There was never anything. He was constantly aiming back and forth hoping to find whatever it was that was causing this. He asked nervously, "Mitsuki, are you picking up anything?" She said softly. "No, the only movement I'm picking up is yours." Kalder clipped his plasma rifles to his leg plates and pulled out his brute shot. 

A wave of static went through his helmets speakers. It made Kalder jump and accidentally shoot a round from his brute shot. The round sailed into the side of a building and detonated with a loud boom. "I told you that being jumpy wasn't good." Mitsuki said slightly annoyed. Eric's voice came through over the static. "Kalder, be on high alert for an unknown hostile! You'll know it's around if you hear it's loud…" Eric was cut off by a loud shriek that happened near Kalder's position. Kalder dropped his brute shot and tried to cover his ears. He then heard Eric continue. "Yeah, kinda like that." Kalder picked up his brute shot and aimed back and forth nervously. He heard Eric say, "Listen to me, I'm in the same situation you are. I'm going to keep you updated as we go and you do the same for me." Kalder heard a loud clang over Eric's COM. The last thing he heard was Eric yell, "Shit!" The COM went dead. Kalder yelled frantically over his COM, "Eric, report!" All he got was static. "Eric, come in!" Still nothing but static. "Fuck!" Kalder cursed. Kalder aimed nervously. "He mumbled to himself with fear in his voice. "Of all the missions I had to volunteer myself for why did it have to be this one!?"

Ok, there's chapter 4. I'm going to start on chapter 5 tomorrow so it should be uploaded hopefully by this weekend. Until then, drop me some reviews. Later!


	5. THETA

It's been a while I know but here's chapter 5. Shorter in length then I usually write but oh well, it's nearly 4am and I'm tired. So as you can imagine I really don't feel like writing one of my usual 9 pages plus worth of material on Word tonight. Regardless I'm happy with it so enjoy.

(CHAPTER 5) THETA

He knew it was out there. Whatever it was that brought down this Longsword was right outside waiting for him. Eric crouched down on the floor of the downed fighter and sat silent. His heart was racing and he sat and aimed his MA5C back and forth frantically. Yuna's soothing voice spoke. "Don't worry, where going to get out of this. We've been through worse before." Eric didn't respond. Yuna continued softly. "And I know you're not going to want to hear this but, whatever it is, it's right outside." Eric was afraid to respond. He thought that if he spoke he would be heard.

He looked over to his left. In the back of the ship he saw the words "Ammo" stenciled on a compartment. He crept silently towards the back of the ship. He heard the ships hull creak and groan. He froze. After a few seconds he kept moving. He reached the compartment and slowly opened it. Under the dull red glow of the Longswords emergency lights he found his old reliable friend, the 8 gage shotgun. He happily picked it up and fed the razor rounds into it that he had been saving. He pumped it and fed a round into the chamber. It made a loud click. He heard something outside growl. "Not smart." Yuna said. He looked up towards the roof. He heard what sounded like claws clacking along the ships hull. He slowly and, silently picked up a frag grenade out of the ammo compartment. He crept quietly over to the emergency hatch that he came in. He silently pulled the pin and tossed the frag as hard as he could. He watched it sail and land behind a building. A few seconds later a muffled boom was heard. What ever was outside saw the explosion. It growled angrily and leapt off to investigate the sound. The ship shifted under the things weight as it vaulted its self off.

Yuna said softly. We need to get moving while we have a chance. If we go now we can get out of here before it comes back. Eric sighed and looked at his shotgun. He wasn't looking forward to this.

Kalder stood in the middle of the street nervously aiming back and forth. He was breathing heavily as he nervously fed in an extra round into his brute shot to make up for the one he had accidentally shot. He slowly started walking and kept moving forward. He was constantly aiming back and forth hoping to find whatever was following him and kill it.

"Mitsuki, please tell me you're picking something up?" She replied, "No, I'm not picking up any movement aside from our own." "Damn it!" Kalder cursed. He found a side street and ducked down it into the shadows. The narrow road and surrounding buildings did will for blocking the light from the auroras. It would keep him out of the light for the time being. Something caught Kalder's eye. He saw a pair of feet coming out from the other side of a dumpster. Kalder's instant thoughts were someone was left behind during the evacuation and was trying to evacuate. He crept over and saw a man sitting down with a blank expression on his face. He knelt down and said, "What are you doing here!? This area isn't safe; you need to get to Evac now!" The man didn't respond. Kalder continued. "Hey! Did you hear me?" Kalder put his hands on the man's shoulders and began to pull him forward. "If you don't get moving you're gonna die…" Kalder froze. When he moved the man, a river of blood poured out from behind him. He heard Mitsuki gasp. He looked at the man's back. Huge claw marks ran across his back, way to large to be from a brute. These marks were so large that they almost looked as though they were plasma sword wounds. Kalder set the man back down and stood. He pulled his brute shot back up and kept going. He wanted out of this area as fast as he could.

Eric crept quietly over towards the emergency hatch of the Longsword. He slowly put the barrel of the shotgun out of the hatch and waited to see if anything happened. Nothing.

He slowly pulled himself out and crouched on the ships wing. He aimed around. All he saw was smoke and flame. He crept down to the edge of the wing. He jumped down onto the charred burnt ground. The impact of his heavy suit onto the burnt soil sounded like pieces of shale breaking. He froze and held his shotgun up waiting. He knew that anyone within a hundred yards heard him land. When he was sure nothing was there he slowly moved around the base of the downed ship. He looked back at the direction he had come from towards the glass fields. The near molten ground he had nearly burned to death on was now a solid field of flame dominated by the large plume of fire from the ruptured gas line that had nearly killed him.

He knew there weren't many places to hide. Unless this thing was fire proof then it only had minimal cover. Eric quickly pulled up the topography of the area on his visors HUD. He zoomed out from his area and saw something that made him feel a thousand times better. He was only a quarter mile from the end of the burning hell. All he had to do was make it through the already burnt out city blocks and make it back to unscarred land.

He quickly looked around. All he saw was the burning hell that he couldn't wait to leave behind him. He didn't care weather that thing was still around or not. Eric charged. Yuna yelled. "You Idiot what in the hell are you doing!?" "Getting us the hell out of here!" Eric growled. Yuna continued. "You're aware that you're charging out into the open with an unknown hostile in the area right!?" Eric replied harshly, "I don't give a damn I'm getting us out of this hell hole!"

Ahead of him stool a large hill of burnt out debris. He charged over the blackened earth and ran as fast as he could. He reached the crest. From the top he could see un burnt city. He thought he was home free. He readied himself for the final sprint to his salvation when he heard Yuna yell, "Look out!" He saw a large black object swing towards him like a whip. It impacted hard in his chest. Eric grunted in pain as his body wrapped around the object. His shields were completely dead from the impact. He felt himself being hurtled backwards into the burning hell. He felt the hard ground hit him in the back. He slid along the charred surface and ground to a halt. He quickly shook off his daze. He saw glowing embers flutter down around him as he regained his composure. He slowly stood up and watched his suit shimmer a quick flash of gold as his shields recharged. He looked around. He saw his shotgun lying beside him. He quickly picked it up and scanned the area. A glowing blue object caught his eye. It was his grav hammer. He quickly headed over to retrieve it. He saw a massive red dot on his motion tracker. Right as he looked up to see what it was he froze in shock. A massive jet black creature landed in front of him. The ground shook as the massive alien impacted its large talon adorned feet on the ground. The creature was huge, easily 16 feet tall and 25 feet long. Its body was encased in sleek large jet black armor like scales. Its back was adorned with several razor sharp looking spines. They almost resembled that of a Hunter's spines. It swayed its long spine tipped tail from side to side. The creature stood up on its hind legs and held out its front feet towards Eric as if to show off its razor sharp talons. The creatures glowing neon green eyes narrowed angrily as it focused on the Spartan.

Eric pulled up his shotgun. He aimed at the things head and unloaded several of the razor shells into the creatures head. It gave of several yells and its head jerked as the buckshot impacted. Eric spent all 6 shells in the chamber. He quickly started to reload. The creature growled and let out another ear deafening shriek. Eric grinned his teeth from the intense sound. Yuna said, "That wasn't the smartest thing to do." The thing lunged quickly towards Eric. "RUN!" Yuna yelled. Eric dodged out of the way right as the alien impacted where he was standing. He had no choice, he ran back into the burning glass fields.

The narrow road Kalder was following lead him into the more dense area of the city. The area was now lined with skyscrapers that ranged within the hundreds of stories. He heard static on his COM followed by the sound of Eric. He was breathing heavily, it sounded like he was running. "Kalder! Come in! I found out what's been chasing us!" "What is it?" He asked. Eric continued. "I don't know what it is exactly other then it's big as hell and it's pissed off beyond all reason!" Kalder looked around and surveyed the area then continued. "I understand, just be careful and keep me updated." Kalder heard several pops from Eric's shotgun then he heard him yell, shortly after the COM went dead. "Eric come in!" Kalder yelled. It did no good.

He looked around. He saw a large court yard at the base of one of the sky scrapers. He walked over and saw a large fountain. It had a waterfall that lead down into the lower levels of the court yard. Mitsuki spoke up. "Kalder, I managed to hack into an encrypted Covenant COM channel. I think you should hear this because they're talking about you and Eric." "Play it." Kalder said.

Kalder listened to the harsh animalistic chatter. It sounded like a brute's voice. "The Theta's have been released into the city Holy one." "How many are there?" The Prophet questioned. "A total of five have been unleashed." The brute answered. The Prophet continued. "I want the Theta's to rid the city of those vile humans. And above all those two damned humans in the special armor. I want there heads brought to me and I want there armor retrieved for study. Have the task complete by sunrise so the final task of removing the final obstacle can begin." The COM cut out.

"Is that what those creatures are called, Theta's?" Mitsuki asked. Kalder turned. He saw a large black shadow that seemed to be floating in the sky. Kalder looked through his visors scope. He focused on the shadow. He soon realized that it wasn't floating; it was falling, right towards his location. "…Run." Mitsuki said. Kalder pulled out his brute shot and stood firm. A few seconds later the massive black shadow landed in front of Kalder with an earth shaking thud and morphed into a menacingly shaped looking creature. "RUN!" Mitsuki yelled. Kalder shook his head. "No." "What do you mean no!?" Mitsuki argued. Kalder said calmly. "That's what it wants. If it wants to kill me, then it's gonna have to fight me first." Kalder aimed dead center on the Theta's head with his brute shot. The Theta roared and charged.

……………………………

Ok, there's chapter 5. I'll have chapter 6 finished as soon as I can. Ok. Bed time is NAO!!


	6. HUNTED

Well, I got no reviews last chapter. WTF's up with that? Oh well. This next chapter is a continuation of the Theta battle. There's not much else I wanna say so read on. 

…………………

(CHAPTER 6) HUNTED

Kalder flexed he's legs and sprang out of the way as the Theta's razor sharp talons impacted where we was standing. His boots slid across the ground as he landed. He quickly pulled out his brute shot and unloaded the full clip into the Theta's head. It let out several loud yells as the rounds impacted. "You have got to be shitting me!" Kalder was stunned. The full clip from the brute shot barely did anything to the creature. Kalder quickly slung his brute shot and pulled out a plasma grenade. He primed it and tossed. The blue orb landed on the Theta's neck and detonated. "Stuck!" Kalder said with a grin. His amusement quickly disappeared. The grenade barely left a mark on the thing. Only a small trickle of green blood ran down its neck. 

"This isn't working!" Mitsuki yelled. Kalder pulled out his duel plasma rifles. He had an idea. He unloaded into the Theta's face. The blinding blue plasma stunned it. Kalder saw his chance. He rushed for the large fountain behind him. He quickly jumped in and ran for the large waterfall. He jumped down and splashed into the pool below. He ran out and fled into the sky scrapers court yard. 

Eric lay stunned on the charred soil. The Theta had slammed him in the back and left him in a daze. He saw a dark evil looking figure loom over top of him. He heard it give a low deep growl. He saw it raise up its right front foot and quickly bring it down. Eric rolled and dodged it. The Theta tried again and Eric quickly rolled and dodged it again. He pulled up his shotgun and with lightning fast speed he started to unload on the under belly of the Theta. It shrieked and ran its claws across its chest trying to brush out the razor rounds. Eric spun onto his stomach and got his footing and took off. The Spartan quickly opened his COM to Kalder. "Kalder come in!" He answered back. "Spartan-73 here." Eric said "I found a slight weak point in this thing." "Where is it?" Kalder asked. Eric replied quickly. "Its chest area seems to be weak against shotguns and armor piercing rounds; I'm not sure about plasma weapons." Kalder answered back. "Ok, I unloaded a full clip from a brute shot into it and it did noting. And a direct stick from a plasma grenade to its upper back barely gave it a scratch. All rounds on its body armor do nothing. We need to find a way to get through it." Kalder paused for a second then continued. "I got company, I'll radio in as soon as I can. 73 out." 

Eric found cover in a small opening in a pile of debris. "Yuna, can you do a scan on that thing and find me a weak point?" She replied. I can but you're gonna have to get close to it so I can get a visual on it." Eric groaned. "How close are we talking?" Yuna replied. "At least 20 feet." Eric sighed and asked quietly. "Never can make things easy for me can you?" 

Eric looked up and found a piece of metal pipe. He quietly picked it up. He peeked his head out. The Theta was creeping along about thirty feet away from him. He waited for it to look away. When it turned its head to try and find where he was hiding Eric quickly threw the pipe. It landed and made a clang noise. The Theta looked up and roared. Eric ducked back in and waited for it to run past. "Get ready." He told Yuna. He crouched down and waited. The ground shook as the massive alien ran past. "Got it! Yuna said. "What do I have to do?" He asked. Yuna continued. "It's relatively simple. All you need to do is break through those plates on its back. Once you get those off you need to hit it in the spine. Surprisingly that thing is unusually weak without those plates." Eric asked. "Well how am I supposed to get the plates off?" Yuna answered. "A direct explosion from a rocket would do it but seeing as how you don't have a rocket launcher, you're going to have to get on its back and rip them off yourself." Eric replied stunned. "You're joking right?" Yuna answered with sass. "Do I ever joke with you?" "Yes…" Eric answered. Yuna sighed "Besides when where not in combat." Eric shook his head and opened his COM to Kalder. 

"Kalder come in." A few seconds later he responded. "Go ahead." Eric continued. "Kalder find a way to get on its back and rip those plates off. That's its weak point." "You know if you want me dead all you had to do was ask." Kalder replied. "What are you talking about?" Eric asked. "Did you listen to yourself a second ago?" Kalder asked. "You want me to jump on that thing's back." Eric replied, "Yeah basically." Kalder groaned. "If I make it out of this, me and you and gonna have a little talk about the crazy shit you pull." The COM cut out. 

Kalder crept along the courtyard taking advantage of any possible cover he could find. The grassy area was littered with trees, pathways and small ponds and fountains. Kalder sprinted down a brick path. He came to a cross roads and stopped. Two of the paths lead to exits from the court yard and the one in front of him lead downhill. "Mitsuki, save this location to a NAV point we may need it to get out of here." She replied, "I have it saved, let me know when you need it and I'll put it up on your HUD as a NAV." 

Kalder looked ahead of him. The path that leads downward might lead to some cover. He ran ahead. He heard a high pitched shriek behind him. Kalder's adrenaline spiked. He hated the thought of being hunted. 

The path he was on continued down hill. He saw a small tunnel ahead of him. He ran inside and put the back of his grey suit against the brick wall and crouched. "Got a plan?" Mitsuki asked. "I need to get it over to where we are before I do anything. I'm not facing it out in the open." Kalder opened his COM. "Eric, I need to lure it to my location, any suggestions?" A few seconds later he replied. "Toss a frag. When I did that the one after me ran off to find the explosion." Eric voice was cut off by the occasional pop from his shotgun. "Good luck!" Eric said as the COM cut out. 

Kalder looked at his HUD. It showed two frag grenades and one plasma grenade left. He pulled out a frag. "Are you sure you want to waste them on this?" Mitsuki asked. "We don't really have a choice here." Kalder said as he pulled the pin. He counted to three and tossed. The grenade landed about twenty feet outside the tunnel. A few seconds later it detonated. Kalder heard the Theta scream. A few seconds later outside the tunnel he saw its large black feet land outside. Kalder edged his way to the end of the tunnel waiting for it to turn its back. He watched as it slowly looked around letting out deep low growls. "I sure hope you know what you're about to do." Mitsuki said nervously. The Theta turned its back to Kalder leaving it exposed. "Yeah me too Mitsuki, so just hang on." Kalder said as he ran for its back. 

Kalder vaulted himself into the air and landed hard on the massive aliens back. The stunned Theta roared. Kalder quickly started to climb up the things back. The Theta shook itself trying to shake Kalder loose. He held on and quickly climbed up higher on its back. The Theta jumped nearly sending Kalder flying off. It landed hard and shook its back. Kalder pulled out a plasma grenade. He primed it and stuck it on the Theta's neck. It detonated and stunned the alien. Kalder quickly began to pull at the large armor like plate on the Theta's back. It was like trying to rip a piece of steel off that was bolted down. "C'mon you son of a bitch!" Kalder yelled as he pulled at the plate. He saw green blood ooze out from under the plate, it was starting to tear away. The Theta roared and leapt away. The sudden jolt sent Kalder flying off. He landed hard on the brick path and grunted as he impacted. He looked up and saw the Theta vault itself onto the side of one of the skyscrapers. It quickly climbed up the side of the building breaking out windows as it went. Kalder lost sight of it when it disappeared behind the building. "Good, it's gone." Mitsuki said. "Kalder replied not looking away from the skyscraper, "No, it's not done with us yet." 

Eric crept along the burning structures. He needed to get back to the Longsword and get his grav hammer. His shotgun was barely leaving a scratch on the Theta, if anything it was only pissing it off more. He had managed to slip away from the Theta for the moment. That wasn't necessarily the best thing because now he didn't have a clue where it was. He quickly sprinted from his location and occasionally ducking for cover to make sure the Theta wasn't sneaking up on him. He pulled up the areas topography. He was two thousand feet from the Longsword. He quickly ran down the burnt road watching as the distance on his NAV marker got smaller and smaller. Up ahead he could see the smoke rising from the crash site. He was nearly there. 

Yuna yelled, "Look out!" For the second time, he saw the Theta's whip like tail swing out and slam into his chest plate. Eric grunted in pain as the things tail impacted hard against him. He was sent flying backwards. Half stunned he heard the sound of glass breaking followed by seeing colored shards of glass flutter around him. He impacted hard on the ground and his vision blurred. He heard Yuna's voice. "Thank god you're ok!" Eric groaned. "What's your definition of ok?" Yuna sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're not dead." 

Eric's vision returned. He looked around him. His suit flared gold as his shields recharged. He was in a burnt out shell of an old stone church. The wooden roof had collapsed when it burned leaving only the tall stone arches and stained glass windows. He looked up. He had gone through a large stain glass window and landed hard on something. He looked down. He was laying on a large cross that had fallen over when the church burned. He saw his arms laying out in a T shape. "Well that's ironic." He uttered to himself. He slowly stood up and looked around. He saw his shotgun laying beside him. He picked it up and slung it on his back. He took notice of the church. The place was huge. It looked like it could easily hold two thousand people. He heard one of the stain glass windows shatter followed by the Theta crashing through. Eric quickly ducked behind one of the stone pillars. The floor shook as the Theta landed. Eric peeked his head out. He saw it narrow its neon green eyes as it searched for him. Eric looked around. He saw a balcony above him and a flight of stairs to his right. He quietly pulled out his shotgun and backed himself into the stair well. Not lowering his weapon he quietly crept up the stairs. His heavy armor made it hard from him to walk quietly. The old stone building echoed every heavy step he took. 

When he made it to the top he crept over so he was parallel with the Theta. He said to Yuna. "Hang on." He vaulted himself over the railing and landed right on the Theta's back. It roared angrily when he impacted and violently started to shake its body. He gripped onto the large plate on its back with all his strength. With a violent swing of its back, Eric was sent sailing off. He impacted face first hard against a stone pillar then fell ten feet to the hard floor. Eric was hurting. He heard Yuna gasp when he landed. He struggled to stand. He saw his shield start to return. He felt something impact on him killing his shields again and sending him flying hard against a wall. His shield bar was at solid red. He heard Yuna say in a panic. "You're shield generator malfunctioned! I'll get it repaired as fast as I can!" 

Eric slowly sat up. He felt something warm run down over his front lip, his nose was bleeding. The Theta leaned down about three feet from Eric face. It let out an ear deafening shriek. Eric put his hands over the side of his helmet trying to shield his ears. His visor began to crack in several places from the intense noise. Eric quickly stood up and tried to back away from the Theta. He saw it whip its front arm at him. Eric threw himself backwards to dodge its powerful slash attack. Its claws grazed across the surface of his chest plate as he evaded the slice. Eric quickly put his gloved over his chest plate and pulled it away. Good, no blood, it hadn't sliced through. He quickly pulled out his shotgun and charged at the Theta. He vaulted himself in the air and tried to shoot the damned thing in the face. He was mere feet away. The Theta saw him coming and quickly lunged its head forward and grabbed onto Eric's upper leg plate. It sunk its teeth into his leg easily penetrating the MJOLNIR plating. Eric yelled in pain. He looked down and watched his blood flow from his leg. He heard Yuna frantically yell his name in a panic. The Theta shook its head and jerked Eric around like a rag doll. Eric quickly unsheathed the combat knife he took from Mike's flight suit. He lunged his upper body forward and stabbed the knife into the Theta's eye. Its mouth opened as it let out a shriek of pain. A split second later, Eric shields popped and flared an extremely bright gold. "Shields back online!" Yuna yelled. She made his shields do an EMP burst. The Theta spat Eric out in shock and fled out the broken stained glass window. 

Eric landed on the ground with a thud. He quickly pulled his helmet off and yelled out in pain. Yuna said, "Hang on! I'm deploying your last round of Nanites!" "No!" Eric yelled. "Just hit it with Bio Foam." Yuna argued. "Eric, you have severe muscle damage, you need immediate…" Eric cut her off. "Just hit it with Bio Foam Yuna!" Yuna sighed. Eric grinned in pain as he felt the foam fill his wounds. He sat with his back against the wall. He needed a break. His eyes watered with pain. He looked down at his upper leg plate of his armor. His blood stained his armor and several large teeth marks were left in the armor plating and the thinner alloy that covered his thigh. He tried to ignore the pain. He had learned long ago how to do it but right now it wasn't working.

Eric opened his COM to Kalder. He said weakly. "Kalder… Come in." Kalder could tell something was wrong. He replied, "Eric, are you ok? What's you're status?" Eric grinned in pain and said. "I'm down. I have several puncture wounds to my left leg." Kalder replied. "Hang tight! The one I was fighting ran itself into a building but I haven't seen it in over fifteen minutes so I'm guessing it's gone. I'll be at your location ASAP." "No!" Eric argued. "The one here is still on the loose. You worry about getting to the rendezvous point. If I get out of this I'll meet up with you." The COM cut out. "Eric come in!" Kalder yelled. "Eric answer me!" All he got was static. "Damn it!" Kalder cursed. 

Eric picked up his helmet. He looked at the visor. It was cracked in four different places. He looked at his reflection in the visor. His long electric blue hair was a mess and swayed back and forth as a genteel breeze caught it and his emerald green eyes looked weak and in pain. He saw a trickle of blood seep out of his nose. He slowly whipped it off with his glove. He frowned and put his helmet back on. His HUD was offline from his broken visor so he had no way of knowing how much ammo he had and what his shields status was. He pulled up his shotgun and fed rounds into the chamber and pumped it. He held his shotgun tight against him and laid his head back against the wall. Yuna calmly asked. "Why won't you just let me have the Nanites fix you up? Your leg will heal and we can be out of here." "Because," he replied weakly, "We don't know how much longer where gonna be in the glass fields. And until that thing is dead I'm not gonna waist my last round of Nanites on this little thing." Eric looked at his leg. The blood stopped flowing from the holes in his suit. Good, the Bio-Foam was working. He laid his hand over the holes in his leg plate. "Don't worry, once the Bio-Foam numbs this we'll keep going but for now, I need to rest. This whole ordeal is wearing me out." 

Yuna calmly asked him. "Do you want to take a half hour nap? You look like you could use it?" Eric adjusted himself and laid down on a pile of debris laying beside him. He closed his green eyes and said, "Yeah, that will give the Bio-Foam a chance to take full effect. Wake me if you detect something." "Okay." Yuna told him softly. Eric felt his suits midsection constrict slightly around him. He asked. "What are you doing?" "What? I'm not allowed to hug my Spartan?" She asked. "I never said that." He told her half asleep. "If you don't like it, I'll stop." She said solemnly. Eric said to her as he was on the edge of sleep. "Its fine, I don't feel as alone out here now." Yuna made a soft "Hmm." Noise and told him quietly after he fell asleep. "Rest up Soldier Boy." 

…………………….

Finishing up in yet another cliff hanger. I'll update ASAP.


	7. BREAKING POINT

(CHAPTER 7) BREAKING POINT

Sorry for the long gap here. Been kinda busy. Anyway here's chapter 7 and the conclusion of the Theta Battle.

………………………

(CHAPTER 7) BREAKING POINT

Yuna was continuously running vital scans over Eric's body. Despite his opinion of his own injuries, Yuna knew he wasn't in any condition to be fighting. She had debated on sending out Eric's last round of Nanites but stopped herself. The last thing she wanted was for Eric to be upset at her in his condition. She could tell from his vital scans that he was in pain. The hard impact against the stone wall nearly gave him a concussion and the wound on his leg needed medical treatment. For the most part all the bio-foam that was injected into it was only numbing the pain. She never understood how Eric could push himself so hard on these missions. She knew that if she was human she could never imagine doing what he and the other Spartans did. Yuna stopped herself. "Human…" She thought to herself. She pushed the thought aside. She never liked thinking the impossible.

She finished a vital scan and did a much needed scan on his armor. His shield generator had been acting up ever since she protected him with the thermal barrier. It needed immediate repair. The last thing Yuna wanted was for his shield generator to fail during combat. Then was the issue with the cracked visor. The cracks in the visor caused the internal HUD links to fail and now Eric had no way of knowing his ammo and shield status. All Yuna could think to do on this matter was help him the best she could by telling him when ammo was running low and when his shields were nearly gone. Finally there was the issue of the armor plating. The alloy on the back of the suit was damaged during his hard landing after jumping out of the drop pod. Then there was the issue of the leg plates being charred and burned from the extreme heat of walking on the glass fields and, finally there was the left leg plate. Ten punctured holes in the alloy from the Theta's teeth wrapped around the upper leg plate. That needed replaced as soon as possible. If for any reason Eric should find himself in an environment where a sealed suit was required for either extreme heat or hard vacuum, his breeched armor would mean instant death.

Yuna did one final thing. She opened up an encrypted COM channel that only her and Mitsuki both had and knew about. It was a direct COM link to Dr. Halsey. Yuna recorded a message.

"Hello Dr. Halsey, it's been a while. I'm with Eric on the planet Aurora. He's badly wounded and his suit is in need of immediate repair. Please send the replacement parts on the list which I have included to UNSC Outpost-343217 in the city of Eclipse as soon as possible. Until then, Yuna out."

Yuna sent the message and hoped it would be received soon. Finally before lowering her power and saving some energy she looked at Eric's brain activity. He was dreaming.

(DREAM)

It was a long time ago. Eric was no more then 4 years old. He was in a brightly lit room. He knew it was his house. He saw two people standing in front of him. He knew it was his parents. He saw his mother approach him and kneel down and hug him. It made him happy. There was a flash of white light. He was older now. He was walking in his blue and red Dress Uniform. Countless medals and ribbons adorned his dress coat. He also noticed that someone was walking beside him, a girl, noticeably shorter then him. She was walking very close to him and was holding onto his arm. She had ankle length sky blue hair and matching sky blue eyes. She looked up at him and said something. He couldn't hear any voice coming from her but he knew she said something nice to him. It eventually dawned on him that he was walking with Yuna. She was in human form. Both were walking happily in a calm world that was completely devoid of war and conflict. It was an area that looked like a park.

As they walked people smiled and greeted them. Eric could never hear what anyone was saying, he only knew that what they were saying was nice. A genteel breeze caught his long electric blue hair and his long trench coat dress uniform. He looked down at Yuna and saw her long sky blue hair flowing with the wind. He smiled and put his arm behind her back and pulled her in closer to him. She looked up and smiled with blushing cheeks.

The world changed again. It was dark out and the sky was red and was filled with smoke. The sound of automatic weapons fire crackled in the distance. He noticed that he was back in his armor. Something dark loomed in front of him. He instantly pulled up his Shotgun and put himself between the threat and Yuna. Whatever it might try to dish out, his armor would take the blows and keep Yuna safe. He popped off several rounds from his 8 Gage. The rounds impacted and the threat disappeared. He slung his Shotgun and pulled out his Battle Rifle. Only holding the weapon with his right hand, he reached around and pulled Yuna in close to him. She held onto his armor with fear. He heard her gasp then he felt himself get knocked hard in the back. He grunted in pain and fell to the ground. In a daze he frantically looked for Yuna. He heard her call his name and he quickly turned and saw her being taken away by the unknown enemy. He pulled out his Shotgun and quickly sprinted after her. He reached out and the world around him began to flare bright white. "…Eric…" He reached his hand out and saw her vanish. "…Eric…"

(END)

"Eric… Eric!" Eric shook his head and opened his eyes. He heard Yuna say softly, "It's been a half hour. We need to get going again." Eric groaned and sat up. He looked around. He was back in this hell that wouldn't let him escape. "Your brain activity was going wild while you were sleeping. Did you have a bad dream?" Yuna asked softly. Eric answered quietly as he stood up, "No, I was just having a tough time sleeping." Yuna knew he was lying. She learned after all the time of being his A.I. not to ask why. It only made him edgy.

He looked down at his leg. His blood stained armor plating was badly damaged. He flexed his leg. His muscles were stiff and sore. He knew he needed medical attention but until he got out of the glass fields he would have to wait. He opened his COM to Kalder. "Kalder come in." A click of static followed by Kalder's voice replied, "Eric me and Mitsuki have been worried sick about you, what's your status?" Eric replied, "I'm good. I just need to get out of these glass fields." Kalder answered, "I know what you mean. I lost track of the Theta roughly forty five minutes ago. I have no clue where it went now and quite frankly I don't give a shit, I just want to meet up with some other Marines. This solo fighting is getting old real fast." "Have you been able to establish any sort of contact with any friendlies?" Eric asked. Kalder answered, "No, there's still too much radio interference from those damn Cruisers." Eric groaned. "Ok, I know I'm close to the outer edge of the glass fields, and I have no idea where the Theta that's after me went. I'm going to try and restock on weapons at the crashed Longsword and then get out of here." "Understood," Kalder said. "I'm trying to get to your location as fast as I can. I'll contact you in a little bit." Eric answered, "Ok, SPARTAN-45 out."

Eric held his Shotgun and limped slowly towards the entrance of the church. Despite the bio-foam, his injury made walking difficult. Every step he took his leg was stabbed with a stiff pain. Every time he put weight on his leg he let out a heavy breath. Yuna asked him softly, "Are you sure you're ok?" Eric uttered out, "Yeah, I just need to walk it off."

He walked out of the front of the church and carefully made his way outside. There was no sign of the Theta. Maybe it got bored and ran off? He could only hope. Eric looked at his visor. It was lined with cracks and every now and then a few waves static fuzzed over his broken HUD. "Yuna, can you give me directions back to the Longsword please?" "Of course." A few seconds later she said, "Ok, I've mapped out our best route there. You're going to have to climb over some debris to get there but it's the safest way." "That's fine," He told her. "I just want out of here." Yuna told him softly. "I know, and I'm going to get you out of here."

Kalder was wandering around the vast maze of sky scrapers and city streets. He was constantly looking for any sign of the Theta and he wasn't finding any. Mitsuki was doing a thorough scan of the area. She was constantly scanning the area for any sign of movement or any type of abnormality. All she was picking up was Kalder's movement or a piece of debris blowing in the wind. Something finally caught her attention. "Kalder, hang on a second." "What is it? Is the Theta back?" "No." She told him, "Head down that street and there should be a small alcove beside that large sky scraper." Kalder looked to his left and saw a street that lead to a parking garage. He walked down the street and saw the tunnel that led underneath the building to its parking garage. "Down there?" He asked her. "Yes, I'm picking up something coming from down there. It's hard to make out what it is from all the interference form the Cruisers but I think it's a distress beacon." Kalder nodded and ran down the ramp. He came to a road that led off in two different directions. "Go left." Mitsuki told him. Kalder ran down the dim tunnel. He rounded a corner and skidded to a halt sending sparks out from under his boots. Two dead bodies of Elites lay on the ground with several shell casings lying around them. Kalder knelt down and picked one of the spent rounds up. He looked at it and said to himself, "Battle Rifles."

Eric had been walking as fast as he could for about ten minutes. His leg was bothering him. Despite trying to ignore the pain it wasn't working nearly enough. He had managed to find his way around several barriers of debris without having to strain himself to get past them. "Yuna, how much further?" He asked. She replied softly. "You have about three thousand feet left to go." Eric sighed with relief. He was nearly to his goal and to his way out of here.

He came to a wall of rubble in front of him. He slung his Shotgun and climbed up. He grabbed onto a beam and tried to pull himself up. The burnt piece of ruble couldn't hold the weight of his battle suit and it snapped. He fell and landed hard on his back. He let out a grunt and lay with his back flat against the charred soil. Yuna gasped and asked, "Are you ok?" He sighed and sat up. "Yeah, I'm good." Eric looked back at the wall of rubble. His helmets flashlights made long white beams as it passed through the smoke in the area. He looked and saw a more safe way to climb. He chose the right route. He climbed up relatively easily. He reached the top and surveyed the area. Amongst the sea of flame and destruction, one feature in particular caught his eye. The massive geyser of flame from the ruptured gas line was still burning. Good, he knew where the Longsword was. He hopped down over the other side of the rubble and landed sloppily. The weight of himself and his battle suit landing played hell with his leg. He grunted in pain and shakily stood up. "Easy!" Yuna scolded. Eric sighed and kept moving.

Kalder ran down the concrete tunnel. His motion tracker blipped two red dots and he stopped. He cautiously looked around the corner and saw a small UNSC base set up in the back of the parking garage. He also saw two Elites in scarlet armor guarding the area. Two easy kills for him and it was a nice change compared to the Theta. He was actually glad to see normal Covenant again. He pulled out his duel plasma rifles and ran out. He unloaded switching back and forth between the two Elites and quickly drained there shields. They two Elites fired back. Kalder managed to dodge most of the shots and what struck him was easily stopped by his shields. He quickly dropped his one plasma rifle and pulled out a frag grenade. He primed it and tossed it. The grenade landed at the Elites feet and detonated. There was a loud boom that echoed through the tunnels followed by the yells of two Elites. Both were instantly killed from the blast.

Kalder ran over to the base. He jumped over the barriers and froze. Five dead bodies of soldiers lay in a pool of blood. All had plasma burns on there bodies. The Spartan sighed and started to look for supplies. He saw a radio. He grabbed the mic and tried to establish contact. No good, the radio wouldn't even function. He cursed and turned towards a weapon locker. He opened the weapon locker and cracked a smile. He saw his beloved Sniper Rifle. He instantly picked it up and grabbed sever clips for it. He also saw a Rocket Launcher; he picked it up and grabbed eight rounds for it. He looked to his left; he saw a grey a tarp covering something. He went over and pulled the tarp back. "Thank you god!" He said to himself as he pulled the tarp off of a Warthog. He looked at the turret. Good, this one had a Gauss Cannon instead of the standard 50 cal. turret. He threw his weapons into the passenger seat and ran back to the weapons locker. He found two SMG's and some extra frag grenades. He grabbed them and attached them to his suit. He ran back over to the Warthog and hopped in the driver's seat. He stepped on the gas and drove for the exit.

Eric limped down a road that was littered with glowing embers and the occasional puff of flame. He saw an ominous orange glow ahead of him. Good, he was close to the road with the ruptured gas line. He picked up his pace to a run. He ignored the pain in his leg. He didn't care anymore; he was almost out of here. He saw the Longsword and his Gravity Hammer lying on the ashen soil. "Finally!" He said to himself. "Theta!" Yuna yelled. After its brief absence, the Theta made itself known again. It crashed down in front of Eric and roared. Eric ground to a halt and took aim with his Shotgun. "You have got to be shitting me!" He yelled. The Theta brought itself to a semi crouched position and began to circle. Eric did the same. He cautiously aimed and waited for it to make a move. After what happened to him last time he learned not to make the first move on these things.

Kalder found his way back onto the main road. His Warthog sped down the deserted street weaving back and forth around rubble and abandoned vehicles. He looked at the clock in the center column. It was nearly 4:50AM. Dawn would be breaking any time now, and hopefully he and Eric would be regrouped soon. Amongst the blue glow of the Warthog's interior controls, Kalder cautiously looked back and forth amongst the darkness of the city looking for any possible threat that might be after him. Aside from the occasional pop of automatic weapon fire off in the distance he was the only thing in the area making any noise and unfortunately for him, the Warthog's motor was far from quiet.

Kalder caught a flash of red on his motion tracker. He slammed on the breaks and the Hog skidded to a stop. He pulled an SMG off his leg plate and cautiously surveyed the area. He couldn't find anything. He sighed and re-attached the SMG to his leg plate and slowly started to move again. Mitsuki broke the silence. "I just got a message from Yuna. Despite trying to convince him, Eric refused his last round of Nanites and now he's fighting that Theta again while wounded and his armor is badly damaged. We need to get to his location as fast as we can and help." Kalder nodded and stepped on the gas. "God he's stupid." He thought to himself.

"I'm picking up stray movement again Kalder." Mitsuki said cautiously. That's all he needed to hear. There was nothing else out here other then that damn Theta. Kalder said calmly as he drove, "I know. It's been following us since we left the parking garage. It would have to be deaf not to hear this things motor." Kalder looked at his motion tracker. A large red dot quickly closed in on his position. "And now it wants its ass beat again."

He pulled out a Frag grenade and pulled the pin. He tossed it out the driver's side and it bounced along the pavement. It rolled to a stop and detonated right in front of the Theta. Another waste of ammo. All it managed to do was throw the alien off balance and stun it.

Kalder saw the large creature in the rear view mirror quickly close in on him. He floored it and picked up whatever speed he could. The thing was damn fast and losing it would be impossible. He felt a hard hit on the Warthog's rear end and he fought to keep the vehicle in control. Another hard hit sent the vehicle spinning. The Warthog slid broadside and began to roll. Kalder shielded his face with his arms as the vehicle flipped end over end. The front windshield shattered sending shards of broken glass flying. The vehicle ground to a halt in a wave of sparks. The hard hit nearly left him unconscious.

He shook it off and quickly pulled out his two SMG's and unloaded on the Theta that was nearly on top of him. The shower of bullets pelted the Theta's thick armor-like scales. It shrieked and lunged forward at Kalder. He flexed his calves and leapt sideways mere inches above the ground and unloaded the rest of his clip on the Theta. The hail of bullets disoriented the alien and it impacted hard into the overturned Warthog, flipping it back on its wheels. The hard impact on the vehicle sent the weapons Kalder packed in flying onto the street. Kalder saw the Rocket Launcher. The Spartan frowned and ran at the Theta. "Hang on Mitsuki!" Kalder sprinted forward in an adrenaline filled burst of speed. He leapt forward and slid along the ground right under the Theta's head. From his point of view it looked like he was moving in slow motion. He quickly pulled out a plasma grenade and primed it. He yelled and, lunged his arm up as he slid under the Theta's head. He slammed the grenade into the Theta's neck. He quickly regained his footing and kept running. He heard a boom behind him followed by the Theta's loud scream. He didn't care weather it was dead or not, he kept running forward and grabbed the Rocket Launcher. He mounted it on his shoulder and quickly skidded to a halt and took aim. He sighted on the dazed Theta and launched a round from the Rocket Launcher. The small missile impacted right below the Theta's neck. The Theta shrieked and collapsed to the ground. It still wasn't dead.

Kalder quickly ran to the Warthog and jumped into the Gauss Cannon. He took aim and began to unload on the alien. With each heavy impact the Theta let out a high pitched shriek. Kalder never took his finger off the trigger. A constant hail of Gauss rounds impacted hard into its armored back. He heard Mitsuki over all the noise and chaos, "Keep hitting it! The plating on its back is about to fail!" Kalder popped off five more rounds and stopped. The Theta's armor plating on its back cracked and an intense green light shot out. "Go!" Mitsuki yelled, "Get on its back and Stab it!"

Kalder leapt out from the turret and sprinted forward. He flexed his legs and vaulted himself on the Theta's back. He pulled his arm back and unleashed several deadly punches. The plating cracked spewing forth green light and glowing green blood. He put his fingers between the cracks and pulled. The Theta screamed but was too injured to move. He cracked open the plating and saw a pulsing green ball of flesh. "That's its heart!" Mitsuki yelled. "Go! Kill it!" Kalder pulled his brute shot off his back and held the bayonet high above the Theta's bleeding heart. He yelled, "Eat this bitch!" With all his strength, he lunged the large blade down into the Theta. It tore through the thin layers of muscle and impacted dead center into its heart. The Theta screamed and flailed. Kalder jumped off and ran back towards the Warthog. He skidded to a halt and took aim with the Rocket Launcher. The Theta let out several more yells before spewing out neon green blood from its mouth and falling limp on the ground.

Kalder walked over to the dead alien. "Scanning." Mitsuki said quietly. "Confirmed kill. Well done Kalder." She said happily. Kalder walked back to the Warthog and collapsed beside it. He leaned back hard against the wheel and sat. He needed a break. He had so much adrenaline pumping through him that he couldn't function. "Are you alright?" Mitsuki asked. He said with a shaky voice. "Yeah, I just need a second."

Eric cautiously circled the Theta as it did the same. He waited. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. A moment later the Theta lunged with its mouth wide open. It was trying to bite him again. Eric lunged his Shotgun forward and popped a razor shell off into the Theta's mouth. It shrieked and spat out green blood. Eric saw his chance. He sprinted past the Theta and ran for his Gravity Hammer. "Shit!" He yelled as the Theta whipped him with its tail. He was send flying hard onto the ground. His shields alarms screamed and his suit sparked gold. In a daze he looked around. He saw something matte grey. His vision re focused and he saw his assault rifle that he had lost when the Theta attacked him for the first time. He quickly grabbed it and turned and took aim. The Theta was standing on its hind legs with its razor sharp talons pointed towards him. Eric took aim and unloaded a clip from his MA5C into the underbelly of the Alien. The armor piercing rounds tore through the less armored section of its abdomen and green blood spewed out. The thing let out an ear deafening yell. Eric saw his chance again and sprinted for his Grav Hammer. He was mere feet away and the Theta delivered a hard punch to his armor.

He felt something weird. Something was wrong. In a daze he felt like something had been torn from him. His mind had a sudden feeling of emptiness. He landed hard on the ground. He struggled to sit up and he looked around. Something was wrong. "Am I dead?" He thought in a daze. No, this was something else. Her presence was gone. He couldn't feel her with him any more. In a daze he uttered out, "…Yuna?" The Theta's hit was so hard that it jostled Yuna's chip from his neural implant. He looked around. He saw a glowing blue light coming from the charred surface. "Yuna!" He yelled. The Grav Hammer could wait. Yuna's safety was more important. He ran for her chip and the Theta interfered once more. It lunged forward and delivered another hard hit to Eric's suit. His shields flared and died as he face planted onto the ground. His suit sparked gold and recharged. He was on his hands and knees. He looked forward and saw his Grav Hammer about five feet in front of him. He crawled and felt another hard hit slam into his back. He collapsed to the ground. The Theta was toying with him. It knew what his objective was and it also knew that it was going to kill him. In his weakened injured state his survival was wearing thin. He felt the Theta's powerful fist come down right on his injured leg. He yelled out in agony as his wound began to bleed again. He saw Yuna's chip out of the corner of his eye pulse blue fiercely. She knew he was in pain.

Eric shoved the pain aside and rolled on his back. He yelled out and unloaded a clip from his Assault Rifle into the Theta's abdomen. It roared and ran its claws across its wounds trying to rip the bullets out. Eric sprinted forward and grabbed his Grav Hammer. He turned and looked at the Theta. It had brought him to his breaking point. His adrenaline spiked and he yelled out, "Come on! You want me dead then come finish me!" Eric had snapped. His adrenaline level maxed and he lost control. He yelled out a fierce war cry and charged at the Theta. He jumped at its head and slammed the hammer into the alien's skull and unleashed the weapons powerful blow. The Theta yelled and fell to the ground. Eric pulled the hammer behind his back and swung again. He released another forceful blast after blast from the Hammer. The armor-like scales began to crack slightly from the force. His Hammer sparked blue and went dark. It was out of power. In a blind rage Eric quickly jumped inside the crashed Longsword. He whipped open the weapon locker sending the door flying off of its hinges. He pulled out a Spartan Laser and ran back outside. He stood on the wing and looked at the area. Several feet behind the Theta was the burning road with the ruptured gas line that nearly burned him to death. He was about to return the favor. He charged his laser and took aim. The Theta stumbled to its feet. Several seconds later the Spartan Laser made a loud boom as the beam of energy impacted the alien in the chest. It went sailing back and landed on the near molten burning street. Eric watched as it thrashed around. He pulled out his Assault Rifle and unloaded an entire clip into the Theta to keep it in the burning street. He smiled evilly under his broken visor as the Theta began to burn to death.

Eric heard a rumble. He looked up and saw a Phantom fly over head. He quickly jumped down under the Longswords wing and watched. It hovered over the burning Theta and then surrounded it with its purple grav lift. The Theta levitated above the burning street and was pulled towards the Phantom. A few seconds later the Phantom flew off. "What the hell?" He thought to himself. He limped out from his cover and yelled out, "Yeah you better run you piece of shit!"

The small Covenant holo pad that Eric had taken from the Brute Chieftain a while back let off several beeps. Eric picked it up in his hand and looked at it. A hologram of the Covenant Prophet of Redemption appeared. He spoke. "Well heathen. I see you and that other pest managed to kill one of our Theta's and severely wound the other. Rest assured the next time you encounter them you won't be so lucky." Eric said with anger, "So I finally get to communicate with one of you bastards! I can't wait until we meet face to face so I can kill you." The prophet let out a laugh. "You think so highly of your race and the soldiers you fight with, and yet we manage to slaughter countless numbers of you daily while our casualties are miniscule compared to yours. I'm about to carry out my final action on that bothersome obstruction, you and this city will be no more. And once I complete the reunion with the ancient ones this planet will be nothing more then a burnt out cinder." Eric frowned with rage. He replied in anger, "This planet is my home world, I would never let something as low as you destroy it. I've slaughtered thousands of your troops and taken out several of your ships single-handedly; don't think for an instant that it would be hard for me to kill a worthless Prophet." The prophet trembled with anger. "Insolence! You will be hunted down and brought to me so that I may kill you myself! You're weak, your body is torn, and you're destined for the slaughter. You may be able to fight off a handful of my army but when we unleash our final assault, even your special armor won't save you. It barely stood against a mere Theta. I could give the order right this moment to send an army of Theta's at you and kill you in seconds, but that would be to easy. I will watch you suffer."

Eric walked over to the burning road. He approached the flames and his shields began to spark gold from the heat. In a final verbal assault he said, "Take a good look at these flames Prophet, because when I finish you off, you're going to be seeing a lot of them." Eric tossed the holo pad into the flames. As the device succumbed to the fire, in a final transmition the prophet told him, "I will see to it that you suffer Demon!"

Eric turned. His adrenaline level plummeted and he felt normal. His reduction in adrenaline also brought back the pain in his leg and the rest of his body for that matter. He needed medical attention. His body was beaten and physically wore out. Even Nanites couldn't help this fully. "…Nanites." He thought to himself. He yelled out loud, "Yuna!" He ran with a limp over to the pulsing blue glow that was emitting from the ash. He knelt down and picked up Yuna's chip. He quickly turned and ran to the Longsword. He hopped up on the wing and slipped inside. He quickly took his helmet off and examined her chip for damage. It looked fine, it was just dirty. He blew the dust and ash from its surface and slipped it into the Longswords control panel. A flash of light emitted from the holo panel and Yuna appeared. Eric quickly asked, "Are you ok!? I'm so sorry I let that happen to you, I can't believe I let my guard down like that and..." Yuna cut him off. "Eric, I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about." Eric breathed in heavy. His whole body ached and a trickle of blood seeped from his nose. Yuna made her hologram larger. Now being projected at two feet tall, she could reach out further to her Spartan. She placed her small hand on his face and sighed. "You worry me so much Eric, you know that?" Eric sighed. Yuna smiled and blushed slightly. "Please be more careful, I know you couldn't help what happened against the Theta but, you're too important to me and I can't bring myself to watch you die."

A vision flashed across Eric's mind. He saw a glimpse of Yuna from his dream. When they were walking arm in arm together and just seeing her smile made him happy. He knew that, that dream would never be a reality. She was nothing more then a program and despite that he still protected her as though she were flesh and blood. He snapped back to reality when he heard Yuna sigh. "You're so reckless and it worries me." She looked into his emerald green eyes and her processes went wild. The white trim on her blue outfit flared wildly and she gasped. "What's wrong?" Eric asked. "It's nothing Yuna told him. Get me back in your suit and let's get moving. Her figure disappeared. Eric was concerned; Yuna had always had emotions that other A.I.'s didn't, excluding Mitsuki. Yuna and Mitsuki could both feel joy, sorrow, anger, and love. It was an effect that played hell with both of the girls. Still, it seemed like something was wrong with her.

Eric sighed and put his helmet back on. He picked up Yuna's chip and put her back in his armor. He was relieved when he felt her interface with him. The thought of her not being with him in battle made him uneasy, especially with his battle suit being as damaged as it was. He hopped out of the Longsword and headed to the outer edge of the destruction back to unscarred city. He had made it out of the burning hell and walked under the ever changing color of the auroras.

………………………

There's chapter 7. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll start on chapter 8 tomorrow and hopefully have it posted by this Sunday.


	8. THE BIGGER THEY ARE

Ok, here's chapter 8. I've noticed that I never get reviews anymore. Only from a few people and that's about it. Oh well, it's either that a lot of you don't like this story or you just don't review. Either way, this story will continue and it will be completed. So for those of you that do enjoy Eclipse, I thank you :)

………………………………………

(CHAPTER 8) THE BIGGER THEY ARE

It all looked the same to him. Everything looked just like it did when he first landed. The deserted streets, the occasional pop of weapons fire in the distance and the ever present sound of emergency sirens screaming faintly in the distance. Still, like before walking through the dense shopping district of the city was the same as it was right before the area was glassed. The stores still had all there lights and signs on as if the owners carelessly forgot to lock up. The stores lights would flicker when the occasional explosion in the distance would go off.

Despite the desolate unpopulated area, Eric had his guard up on high. With no motion tracker and in the condition he was, he wasn't taking chances. The faint thumping of his heavy boots impacting off the pavement made a hollow thump noise as he walked closely to the buildings with his weapon always at the ready. Yuna quietly told him. "Around the next corner I'm picking up motion. Be careful." Eric narrowed his eyes and in a crouched position edged his way over to the street corner. Holding his weapon close to his chest he peeked around the corner. He saw two Elites in gold armor walking down the street parallel to his position. Something caught his attention. Both only carried plasma pistols for side arms. Each were lacking there standard issue Plasma Rifle or a Carbine. He thought to himself, "Had they used all there primary weapons power?" Come to think of it, he remembered back to when he first arrived on Aurora. None of the Covenant he had encountered were interested in the fact that there were humans present. Even thinking back to Kalder's message to him saying that the Covenant was ignoring him all together and seemed to be pre occupied with what he thought was another mission then just there standard practice of killing off every human they saw. It was as if they didn't care there were humans present.

Eric opened his COM. "Hey Kalder." After a click of static he answered, "Yo." Not taking his sight off the two Elites, Eric asked, "Is it just me or does it seem like the Covenant are up to something?" "What do you mean?" Kalder asked. "Think about it." Eric continued, "There invading a massive city and they've only sent down a small amount of troops. Even for a small city they send down a wave of troops to kill off any humans they can find." Kalder answered, "Yeah but think about how big this city is, maybe there just really spread out." Eric shook his head, "No, even for a city this size with the amount of ships that are here we should be running into Covenant constantly. And the only time we see them there scattered in small platoons."

Eric heard a rumble. He quickly ducked into a small doorway in one of the shops. He looked up and saw three Phantoms in a V formation fly overhead. They were heading towards The Arch. When he was sure they were gone he said, "Sorry about that. There birds are scouting. Keep in touch because I know where getting close to meeting back up. Keep your guard up Kalder, I have a weird feeling about this mission. This one just seems… wrong." "Understood, I'm picking up movement. I'll keep in touch."

Kalder was still wandering through the vast maze of sky scrapers. He was crouched behind an elevated stone garden. He propped his Sniper Rifle up on the flower bed and took aim. He saw a platoon of two Elites and five grunts. It was all he ever saw the Covenant in on this mission, just sparsely placed small platoons. Either way, they were still a threat. He quickly took and popped a round off right into the side of an Elites head. It fell limp in a spray of purple blood. He was about to take out the second Elite when he noticed something. He quickly said, "Mitsuki, enhance real time volume so I can hear what its saying. Kalder heard the Elite yell back to the Grunts. "Ignore him! We must make it back to the Phantoms before it is time." Kalder cocked his head slightly. "What the hell was it talking about?" "Unknown." Mitsuki answered.

Just to check to see if what the Elite was saying was true, Kalder sighted on one of the Grunts. He squeezed the trigger and managed to take out two of the five Grunts. The surviving ones including the Elite jumped but kept running. None of them bothered to even look to see what had killed them. And according to Eric the Prophet that was on the Capitol Ship was supposed to have scouting parties out looking for both himself and Eric. Apparently all the platoons they had encountered weren't interested in them. Kalder heard a rumble and immediately threw himself on the ground and took cover behind the elevated flower gardens.

Above him he began to see Phantoms rise from different areas of the city and fly towards the Cruisers. Kalder looked around the area. In all directions of the sky he saw at least three hundred Phantoms rise up and fly off for the ships. "What the hell is going on?"

A few miles away, Eric heard the same rumble. A continuous wave of Phantoms flew over head. He looked back out to where he saw the small platoon of Covenant. They were long gone by now. From down the street he saw nothing but continuous V formations of Phantoms. "Yuna, what the hell is going on?" She replied quietly, "I don't know."

Eric opened his COM. "Kalder, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" "Yeah, all of the Covenant in my area seem to be Evacuating?" Eric looked around. All he saw was the deserted city street with the occasional shadow of a Phantom flying over head. The area was completely devoid of ground forces when in a battle in a scale such as this the city streets should be swarming with Covenant. Eric said, "You know as well as I do Kalder that something's not right here." "I know." He replied, "Let's just meet up as fast as we can then try to get out of this area." "Understood." Eric replied. He heard a foreign click of static and froze. "I'm picking up UNSC radio chatter!" Yuna told him. Eric listened.

"I repeat, all Covenant ground forces are leaving the city. All troops regroup and report back to the City Center outpost." Eric quickly said to Kalder, "Did you hear that? We're back in contact!" Eric quickly opened his COM. "This is SPARTAN-45 calling any UNSC forces in my area. Do you read me?" A few seconds later there was a reply. "Affirmative, this is Sergeant Trujillo, what's your status Son?" Eric replied, "I'm pretty beat up but I'm fine for the most part. SPARTAN-73's status is probably the same as mine Sir." "What is SPARTAN-73's location?" Trujillo asked. "Unknown Sir, we were separated during hot drop but last time I checked in with him we were within two miles of each other." Understood, regroup as fast as possible. Now that the Covenant are fleeing you should have little trouble meeting up." Eric replied, "Sir, somehow I don't think there fleeing." "What do you mean?" Trujillo asked. Eric continued. "When was the last time you ever saw the Covenant just pack up and leave? There up to something. I know because both myself and SPARTAN-73 have seen nothing down here but Scouting Parties. We both had run ins with a much larger type of Covenant but they were taken care of and no more have been seen since that encounter. You know as well as I do Sir that there not done with us yet." There was a pause. Trujillo replied. "Understood, we'll be on high alert for anything unusual. But until then, I want you two to regroup and then make your way to the City Center." Eric replied. "Affirmative."

Eric opened his COM back to Kalder. "I've established contact with Command. They want us to regroup as fast as possible and get to the city center. Try and get close to my location and I'll do the same. If we move quick enough we should be back together within a half an hour." "Ok, it will take a while to move with all these Phantoms flying over head, we both need to stay low and out of sight as much as possible." "Right, see you in a bit." He cut the COM.

Kalder had managed to make it to the lobby of a very large sky scraper. Keeping his back constantly against the wall he moved as fast as he could, pausing to check for a clear path every time he had to run from building to building. The sky began to get a faint tint of blue that broke through the light of the auroras. It was almost dawn. It had gone quiet over the past ten minutes. The constant line of Phantoms had stopped and the city went quiet once more. Kalder cautiously immerged in another large open courtyard of a skyscraper. He froze. Below him he felt the ground shake. He raised his Sniper Rifle and quickly took aim and looked around. He heard Mitsuki yell, "Slip space rupture!" Kalder turned and looked up. Above him five bright white orbs formed in the sky. There were five loud booms followed by five Covenant Destroyers emerging from Slip space. Sonic booms roared through the area as the Destroyers flew over head. The shockwaves roared through the city blowing out the windows in the sky scrapers sending down a silver rain of glass. A constant barrage of glass shards began to rain down on Kalder. His shields sparked gold from the impacts slowly started to drain. Kalder ran for cover. He ran to one of the larger skyscrapers and tried the door. It was locked. A large piece of glass impacted on the surface and splintered apart into razor sharp shrapnel. A piece went sailing through Kalder's weak shields and impaled itself right into his lower back. He yelled out in pain and quickly reached back and pulled out the slab of glass. It was dripping with his blood. He frowned and threw it on the ground. He felt his suit immediately inject his wound with Bio-Foam. He winced in pain and quickly backed up and ran forward and jumped through the window. He rolled onto the floor and regained his footing.

Outside it looked like it was pouring down rain. The sheer volume of the buildings in this city meant the glass would rain down for a while. Occasionally larger panes of glass would fall to the ground and shatter on impact sending shards of razor sharp shrapnel flying out in all directions. It would cut any not wearing MJOLNIR to ribbons if they were standing to close. He had learned that first hand. The sound of the raining glass was ear deafening. Hundreds of stories worth of glass piled up on the pavement. About thirty seconds after it started, the glass stopped falling. Kalder cautiously immerged and walked back out into the street. The buildings courtyard looked like it had been hit by a hail storm. At least a three inch deep field of broken glass lay before him. Occasionally he would hear the small "tink" sound of a stray piece of glass falling. Kalder took a step forward. It sounded like he was walking on gravel. He looked up and saw nearly every window blown out of the massive sky scrapers.

Kalder looked out to where the Destroyers were flying too. They were all heading towards the Arch. Kalder quietly said. "I don't like this Mitsuki. You and I both know that there up to something and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the Arch." Mitsuki replied quietly. "Let's just hope where both wrong about that."

A bright flash of white light filled the area Eric was walking in. He heard the loud sonic booms and saw the five Destroyers fly over head. It was the same experience for his as it was for Kalder. All the windows in the surrounding shops and structures were instantly blown out from the shockwave. Eric covered his face with his arm and let his shields take the hits from the glass. The structures surrounding him were much smaller then the area Kalder was in so the glass wasn't that big of a problem. Eric ran out to an open street. He looked ahead of him and saw the Destroyers flying towards the Arch.

Eric ran down the street to try and find a more open area of the city so he could get a better vantage point of the Arch. He stopped when he saw a sporting goods store. He quickly punched through the glass in the door and unlocked it and went inside. He found what he was looking for, Scopes. With his visor broken, he had no way of zooming in on anything. He went over to the case and punched the glass out of it. He found a very high powered and not to mention expensive scope with a 15x zoom. "Yuna said with sass. "Looting now are we?" Eric replied as he mounted the scope on his Shotgun, "Nope, just borrowing. And besides, I doubt the store owner even cares what happens to his place at this point." "Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess." Yuna told him.

Eric hopped over the counter and went into the back room. He found a flight of stairs. He quickly ran up several stories and came to a metal door. It creaked open and came out onto a roof. Good, he had a clear vantage point now. He looked out ahead of him and saw the Arch. For the first time Eric got a clear view of it. The massive structure was one hundred and fifty miles long by thirty miles high. The sleek black curve spanned the entire length of the city and at the top of it colored energy waves could be seen as they harnessed power from the ever constant Aurora Borealis.

Eric gasped and froze. A memory flashed across his eyes. He quickly saw a flash of two people, a man and a woman. The man having longer electric blue hair and emerald green eyes and the woman with her long purple hair then extended down to her lower back. Eric saw himself. He looked like he was no older then three. He saw the woman pick him up. It was his mother. He remembered looking into his mothers cool blue eyes and feeling happy. He then remembered looking at the Arch and staring at its massive structure in awe.

He snapped back to reality. "You're brain activity just went crazy!" Yuna told him. "Are you ok?" She asked. He shook his head and replied, "Yeah. I'm good." He stood motionless for a second. It all seemed so familiar to him. But why was he having flashbacks all of the sudden. He shook the thought aside and pulled up his Shotgun. He still had a job to do after all. He looked through the scope and aimed up at the Arch. He activated the scope to 5x zoom. He started by looking at the surface. Below the Arch was completely deserted. No Covenant ground forces or ghosts were around which was unusual for something the Covenant were interested in. Only a few overturned vehicles and some burning debris was seen at the Arch's base. He focused on the Destroyers and zoomed into 10x. They all appeared to be positioning themselves above the Arch. He looked on and saw all of the ships hovering motionless above the structure. He wanted to be sure of one more thing. He zoomed into the maximum of 15x and focused on the area of the Destroyers where the grav lifts were. None of the ships were dropping troops onto the Arch. "What the hell are they doing?" He thought to himself.

Eric opened his COM to Kalder. "Hey, are you seeing this?" He asked. Kalder answered. "If you're talking about the Arch then yes." Not taking his focus off the scope Eric asked, "What in the hell are they doing? I've never seen the Covenant do anything like this before." Kalder replied, "If I knew they wouldn't be doing what there doing right now." Eric lowered his Shotgun and said, "I'll keep in touch, I'm about to head to meet up with…" He paused. He heard the ungodly noise that he and everyone else in the UNSC feared.

He didn't need a scope to know what was coming. Eric looked up at the Arch. He uttered, "Hell no…" The large plasma cannons on the Destroyers were charging. Eric froze and opened his COM. He knew there was nothing he could do. He uttered in a calm voice to Kalder. "This is it… We lost Eclipse…" There was no response. He knew that Kalder was looking at the same thing he was. The humming of the charging cannons grew louder by the second. Eric's arms fell limp at his sides and in what seemed like slow motion his Shotgun fell to the ground. There was a blinding light as the plasma charged. He now knew why the Covenant had fled. He corrected his thoughts. No, they were never fleeing. They were getting to a safe distance. It was there version of lighting a fire cracker. They all came down to light the fuse then they ran like cowards after the fuse was lit. Eric hated them for it. He had failed. His city was lost because he had failed to see what the Covenant was trying to do. He also knew he was to close to survive once the Arch succumbed to the attack. The rain of debris from the massive Arch and the surrounding structures would be to much. Even with his enhanced speed he could never out run this. His death was coming and he knew it. The Destroyers in perfect synchronization fired there plasma cannons and attacked the Arch.

A massive shock wave shot across the city. It all seemed like slow motion. Eric stood motionless. He saw all the power in the city fade. Every light went out in the blink of an eye as the city's main power source was destroyed. Clouds of dust blew past the Spartan. As he stood he saw the shockwave shoot past him followed by an extremely loud boom. The sound cracked his already broken visor even more. He looked up at the Arch and watch as it began to fall. A strong wind began to pick up as it crashed to the ground. Debris and dust began to blow past him. The ground shook violently as the Arch impacted spewing up a massive cloud of dust and debris. The powerful wind from the impact shot forward at him. He slowly looked down and saw his Shotgun slide along the surface and then get swooped up from the massive blast of air. He didn't care, he wouldn't need it anymore. He slowly turned his attention back to the mammoth dust cloud speeding towards him. He inhaled deeply and stood tall. He closed his eyes and stood at attention. He saluted one final time for his fellow soldiers, his friends, his city, and his home world. He heard Yuna say to him softly. "Eric, I'm so sorry."

He felt the debris cloud hit him. The next thing he knew he was thrown off his feet. He felt nothing. No pain, no force, just vertigo.

……………………………………………………

Yes! A cliff hanger! I hope I managed to leave some of you in suspense! So until we meet again, I hope you toss and turn in your sleep wondering what happens.


	9. THE HARDER THEY FALL

SPARTAN-145 here with chapter 9. I would like to take this time to say that I will be taking a brief break from ECLIPSE to work on my other stories that need attention. I've been putting them off for far to long. So until then enjoy chapter 9 then either wait a few weeks for chapter 10 or read my other fic's to keep yourself occupied :)

…………………………

(CHAPTER 9) THE HARDER THEY FALL

Eric felt himself tumble end over end. He was at the mercy of The Arch's debris cloud. He kept seeing a glare of gold light reflect off the dust around him. He knew it was from his shields protecting him. In the back of his mind he heard Yuna's voice yelling out to him. The sudden shock of The Arch's impact against him left him in a daze and he was unable to comprehend anything around him. He heard a beeping echo through his head. In the back of his mind he knew it was the sound of his suits alarms. The gold glow of his shields vanished and he began to feel impacts on his body. Each impact brought with it an overwhelming feeling of pain. His armor protected him the best it could but there was only so much his damaged suit could do for him. In his feeling of vertigo it seemed as though nothing was happening to him at all. He knew he was being hurt but he didn't know how to react to it.

Something flashed before his eyes. The chaos of the disaster happening around him seemed to vanish and he saw a bright light. Everything went silent. He looked around and saw a world around him, a world free of war and disaster. He looked down and noticed he was out of his armor. He also noticed he was a lot younger. He couldn't have been any older then five years old. He saw himself running around on a playground with his friend from first grade. He recognized the game he was playing. It was a game he and his friends called Knights. The object was to fight your way into the castle and rescue the princess. In this case the castle was the schools large jungle jim and the princess just happened to be a girl in his class that he had a crush on.

He remembered it all, fighting his way through the other boys who were acting like evil black knights and trying to stop him from reaching his goal. He remembered fighting his way through using a stick as a sword and taking out all his enemies, and finally climbing to the highest point in the castle and rescuing his princess.

Eric watched the scene before him. From his own young eyes he saw himself kneel down and pick up the princess and bring her down from the castle. He remembered the girl, her name was Heather. She was the bright pink haired girl who had been the main focus of Eric's attention for a long time. He remembered feeling like he was really in a castle as he ran down the jungle jim with his princess in his arms, kicking and shoving his friends out of the way to rescue her and just for effect making his final escape down the slide.

He remembered looking back at the castle and seeing his friends standing in disappointment that he had won. He smiled and felt proud of himself. He felt a finger poke him in the chest. He turned around and saw Heather standing in front of him with a smirk on her face. She motioned him to get closer. Being well over a head taller then she was he had to kneel down and lean in. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek and said to him, "Thank you my brave Knight!" And with that she turned and skipped away. Eric put his hand on his cheek and blushed. He had gotten his first kiss from his crush. He stood up and leaned his back against the jungle jim. He smiled and thought to himself. "_I'm going to be a Knight someday! I want to wear a suit of armor and fight the bad guys and rescue the princess! That's gonna be me someday, …a hero." _

It happened again, another flashback. Being on his home world was beginning to mess with his mind. Every time he was near a familiar area from his childhood his mind was assaulted with memories. A thought occurred to him. "_I must be dead. I can't feel anything anymore. Everything is silent and around me is nothing but darkness." _

Meanwhile, Kalder was sprinting down the main city street in an adrenaline filled burst of speed. The debris cloud from The Arch was fast approaching. He yelled as he ran. "Mitsuki, find me some cover ASAP!" She reported back frantically. "I'm trying as hard as I can. The sudden increase of debris from The Arch is making it difficult to scan! Just keep running!" In the back of his mind he knew the cloud of rubble and debris would catch up to him. Even with his enhanced speed, on foot he was doomed.

Kalder quickly looked back to see how far away the debris cloud was from him. It was about a two miles behind him but at the rate of speed it was traveling, he only had a good fifteen seconds if he was lucky before the full force of The Arch's collapse hit him. Around him, the wind began to quickly pick up from the fast approaching debris cloud. Items on the street such as trash cans, store displays and litter were dragged swiftly across the ground from the intense increase in wind speed. Kalder quickly opened his COM to Eric. "Eric, come in!!" There was only static. He knew that Eric had already been hit by the collapse but he still had hope that he managed to get away from it somehow.

Mitsuki yelled to Kalder. "I found your escape route! Up ahead there's a maintenance tunnel that leads under the city street. When you get to the intersection up ahead, run towards the large skyscraper to the left and look for a ramp leading to a metal door." Kalder nodded and picked up his speed. Sparks shot out from under his boots every time they impacted on the pavement. He had never ran this fast before in his life.

Up ahead he saw the building and veered off to the left. Mitsuki put a NAV marker on his HUD leading to the tunnel. Kalder quickly looked behind him. The debris could was nearly on top of him. He ran through the buildings small open plaza and saw the ramp. He leapt into the air and jumped down. He impacted hard on the concrete path and cracked it on impact. He quickly stood up and ran to the door. He saw the red light above it indicating it was locked. Kalder cursed under his breath and quickly pulled out a plasma grenade. He primed it and slammed it onto the doors handle. He quickly turned and shielded himself. There was a loud boom. Kalder turned and saw the door bent and twisted from the blast. He quickly kicked it down with his heavy armored boot and ran inside. The hallway was dark and it was hard to see. The only light source down here was the red emergency lights. He had been inside no more then five seconds when he was knocked off his feet from a powerful gust of wind. He fell flat on his face and he heard an extremely loud roar. The debris cloud finally hit his location. He heard the sound of destruction outside and the sound of concrete cracking and metal twisting inside the maintenance tunnel. The power surged in the tunnel and all of the red emergency lights shattered from the sudden burst of energy in a shower of sparks. Kalder had descended into hell.

Eric felt a hard hit on his back. He had impacted off the ground. He felt himself tumble several times then thrown back into the air. He felt himself being thrown backwards like a rag doll. In what seemed like a blink of an eye he was violently brought to a stop. He felt his back hit hard against a hard surface. He yelled out in intense pain. He felt something stab through him. He couldn't move or feel around to see what happened to his body and it was still to dusty to see. He saw his visor spider web with cracks as debris impacted against it. Finally his visor shattered sending pieces of golden shrapnel into his face. He yelled out in pain and felt blood seep down his cheeks. He quickly out of instinct pulled his hands up and covered his face. He yelled out in pain. It was a never ending cycle of bombardments from debris from the destruction and he couldn't do anything except ride it out until it was over.

Kalder was on the ground sitting and trying to shield himself the best he could. All he heard was the ever constant sound of his yells of fear amongst the roar from the destruction outside. A large piece of concrete from the tunnels roof broke loose and fell. Kalder was to busy trying to stay alive to notice the large slab of rock falling towards him. The slab of concrete impacted right on his knee. Kalder heard a snap followed by a razor sharp stab of pain shoot up his leg. He fell to the ground in agony and grabbed for his knee. He heard Mitsuki gasp in fear from the sudden accident but he wasn't paying attention to her. To him it felt like someone had shoved a red hot iron rod into his knee. He turned on his helmets flashlight and looked down. He saw a pool of his own blood then he saw his knee. His knee had been crushed by the concrete slab and his leg was now bending in the opposite direction. He could see his bone piercing through his suits black layer. His eyes were slammed shut and watered in pain. He yelled out in agony wanting it all to end.

The wind began to die down and was now in a steady breeze and the dust cloud was less thick. Eric opened his eyes and looked around. He saw jagged golden pieces sticking out where his visor once was. It had completely shattered leaving only golden shards along its mounting spot along its mounting in his helmet. Eric felt warm streams running down his face. He knew it was blood but right now he didn't care. He plucked out what he could of the visor shards then turned his attention to his abdomen. It felt like he had been shot with a Spartan Laser. He reached down and felt his hands slip on blood. He looked down and his emerald eyes widened in shock. A piece of rebar was sticking out from the black layer of his suit that was right above his waist. He began to panic. He heard Yuna's soft voice say reassuringly. "Eric, just stay calm. You need to listen and do what I tell you to or you're going to go into shock." Eric began to breathe heavily. He reached around and felt a piece of rebar impaled into his back. His fear spiked. He had been impaled. He did the one thing that he was taught not to do, he began to panic. He yelled out in pain and fear and tried to free himself. His squirming and moving was making his situation worse. "Eric, you need to calm down!" Yuna did an override his battle suit and put it into lock down. Eric was breathing heavily and his heart rate was dangerously fast. "It's ok Soldier Boy just relax. Try and calm down." Yuna told him calmly. To her it was like trying to calm down an upset child. She knew to just make herself sound as calm as possible and make her voice sound motherly.

Yuna continued as calmly as she could. "I've done a vital scan. You have the best luck in the world I swear, the rebar managed to miss all vital organs. Some were punctured and damaged but can be repaired with Nanites." Yuna paused. Eric gasped for breath, he knew he was getting close to shock. Eric heard Yuna's soft voice. "There lies our problem. I can't deploy the Nanites to repair all your vital organs and this injury until we get that rebar out of you. I'm going to radio for help and hopefully it will get here soon."

Eric grinned his teeth in pain and shakily said. "Yuna, look around us. There's no way help is going to get here in time. I'll be long dead by the time they find us." Yuna was silent. She had no answer to give him. She said softly with a voice of sorrow. "Eric… I don't." Eric cut her off. He uttered out, "Yuna, as soon as I pull myself off of this, I wan you to immediately deploy my last round of Nanites." "What do you mean pull yourself off!?" Eric took a deep breath and said, "Just watch and get ready." Eric braced his forearms against the wall behind him. Yuna immediately argued. "Eric don't! This could kill you!" Eric said quietly. "Either way I'm dead Yuna. I might as well try and save myself one last time."

Eric grinned his teeth and began to push himself forward. Immediately pain stabbed through him. The rough rebar rubbing against his internal body was like shoving a Plasma Sword slowly through himself. He pushed as hard as he could and slowly felt himself start to slide off. He yelled out in pain but kept pushing. He began to see a faint blue light pulsing in his eyes. It wasn't from the shock of what was happening, it was from Yuna. Whenever he was in a situation where Yuna found herself fearing for his life, she would run wild with processes through his mind causing blue flashes to pulse in his eyes. She worried about him a lot even if she didn't show it. Eric stopped. He looked down and saw the end of the rebar retract inside his body. Good, he was almost free. He breathed heavily several times then let out a yell. He slammed his eyes shut and forced himself forward. He felt the piece of rebar rip its way out of his body and he yelled out in pain. He fell forward and blood began to pour from his body. Yuna immediately sent out his last round of Nanites. He felt them inside him destroying all the fragments of rust and foreign debris from his wound before the Nanites sealed his body and black layer shut.

He slowly stood up and gasped for breath. He reached down and felt where he had just been healed. His abdomen was stiff and it felt awkward to move. He turned and looked at the rebar that had impaled him. It was dripping with his blood and had pieces of his flesh sticking to it. He sighed with relief and stood and did a quick stretch. His body was physically beaten and exhausted. He needed to find Kalder and make it to the UNSC's main base in the city to get medical treatment. Even with the help from the Nanites, they could only do so much for his injuries. He just hoped the base was still intact after what had happened.

The blue pulsing in his eyes faded. Yuna quietly spoke. "I know you couldn't help what just happened but that really scared me. I thought you were going to bleed to death." Her voice was shaky. Even for a program she was programmed so well that she behaved so humanlike that it was as if she wasn't a program. Only she, Mitsuki and a third A.I. named Dokuro were programmed to have such humanlike behavior and emotion. Eric sighed. "I'm sorry Yuna. What just happened was the last thing I wanted to go through right now." Yuna sighed. "I know, and don't worry about it. I'm just a little edgy right now."

Kalder lay on his side squirming in pain. His compound fracture on his knee was killing him. Over the sounds of his own yelling he heard Mitsuki try to calm him down. "Kalder, you're going to be ok. I need you to calm down and listen to me!" Kalder grinned his teeth in pain and panted heavily. Mitsuki continued, "I'm going to need you to relax and keep calm. I know it hurts but please try and do this for me." Kalder closed his eyes and focused. His training kicked in and he tried as hard as he could to fight off the pain. He slowed his breathing and tuned out everything around him. He brought himself to a state of near vertigo. He began to hear his heart beat slow and felt the pain in his knee subside. Not by a lot but it drowned some of it out.

Mitsuki did a quick vital reading. She learned when a Spartan brought them selves to this state that they were calm, she only hoped it would last for a while. What she was about to say made her nervous. She ran through her calculations one last time then spoke. "Kalder, you're not going to want to hear this next part." Kalder quietly said. "What is it?" Mitsuki made an image of herself appear on Kalder's HUD. She voice got shaky and she continued. "Kalder, I can heal you with your final round of Nanites, however…" She paused. Text flared across Kalder's HUD pointing out everything to him in data. "Kalder, I can't heal this fracture until you reset you leg back to its proper position." Kalder's heart rate jumped. Hearing that made him nervous, it hurt bad enough as it was. He couldn't imagine resetting it on his own and worse without anesthesia.

He looked at Mitsuki on the HUD of his visor. She had a look of worry on her face. Kalder hated seeing her like that. He would never admit it but he had a big soft spot for his A.I. He took a deep breath and said. "Get ready to send out the Nanites." Mitsuki nodded. Kalder positioned his body and rested his foot against the wall. He put a little pressure on his leg to see what he was in for. Just moving it slightly shot pain through his body. He hissed in pain and grinned his teeth. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He put pressure on his upper leg and pushed. He moved it forward slightly and he heard another snap followed by a stab of pain. He yelled out and more blood began to flow from his knee. Mitsuki gasped. Kalder ignored the pain and tried again. He forced pressure on his leg and pushed. He heard the sound of his bone crunching. Pain stabbed through him. He couldn't take it and he went limp.

Breathing heavily, he uttered out, "I can't do it Mitsuki. Even I can't ignore that much pain." Mitsuki sighed nervously and said. "There is one other option but you wont like it." Kalder said, "At this point, I don't care what it is, just make this pain stop!" Mitsuki continued. "There lies our problem. This wont be the most pleasant way of solving this but it will work." Kalder asked, "What did you have in mind?" Mitsuki pulled a schematic of his armor up on his HUD. "I am able to take control of your armor for a brief time. If you allow me to, I can mobilize your battle suit and reset your leg myself. However, this suit was programmed not to allow me to do so without conformation from the wearer, the wearer being you."

Kalder thought. This was his only option for getting out of this. He knew there was no chance in hell of a rescue anytime soon. He sighed and said. "Do it." Red text flashed across his HUD saying, "Battle Suit Override." Kalder felt the jell layer of his suit shift around his body. "Don't worry, that's just me interfacing with your armors motion system." Mitsuki told him. Kalder sat silent. He knew what was coming and he wasn't looking forward to it. Mitsuki asked quietly. "Would you like a countdown or anything?" Kalder swallowed hard and said, "No, just do it quick." Kalder shut his eyes and began to breathe heavily. Mitsuki monitored his heart rate. It was beating very fast. She knew it was out of fear. Mitsuki ran through some final calculations and made herself pause for five seconds. In the silence she heard Kalder's heavy breathing and his heart rate getting ever faster.

Kalder felt his suit kick. In an action that took a second and a half Mitsuki thrust his leg forward and reset it in its normal position. Kalder heard the sound of bone snapping and felt by far the worst pain he had ever experienced shot through his body. He yelled out in torture as his leg was reset. And the sound of his bone crunching under the force made him sick to his stomach. Immediately after, Mitsuki deployed the Nanites. Kalder felt his leg being repaired and the pain subside. Text appeared across his HUD saying "A.I. Control Disengaged." Mitsuki quickly asked. "Kalder are you all…" She was cut off as Kalder quickly pulled his helmet off. He tossed it aside and was down on all fours. The sound and feel of his bones being crushed in his leg made him sick to his stomach. He immediately threw up.

Shortly after Kalder threw himself down on the ground and laid his back against the wall. He spat out some mucus from his mouth and breathed heavily. He looked to his left and saw his helmet laying on its side. He slowly picked it up and put it back on. Mitsuki asked, "Are you feeling ok now?" Kalder quietly answered. "Yeah, I'm good." Can you stand?" Mitsuki asked. Kalder slowly stood. His knee was stiff but it was mobile again which was great. He was becoming fond of the Nanites that Mitsuki carried. However, he had used his last round of them on his knee. He would have to take it easy until he could get Mitsuki refitted with more. He imagined Yuna would be needing a reboost of them by this point as well. That was if she and Eric survived the collapse. He pushed that thought aside. He knew Eric was still alive. He would never accept another SPARTANS death.

Kalder slowly walked for the entrance of the maintenance tunnel. His helmets flashlights reflected of the dust and debris in the tunnel. He hopped over some piles of rubble and found the entrance. Sunlight was peering through. He checked his mission clock. It was ten AM. He walked back out into the city only to find destruction. A layer of dust covered everything. Buildings were badly damaged, the sky was filled with thick dust and most noticeable of all was the lack of sound. The city that was once the most populated in the galaxy was now silent and completely devoid of life. Kalder opened his COM. "Eric, are you still there?" There was a wave a static followed by a choppy transmition. Kalder could tell it was Eric's voice. It was to broken up to understand. Mitsuki told him, "I managed to filter out the static. He said that he and Yuna are ok and are still trying to make there way to our location. I suggest we do the same." Kalder nodded and said. "Understood. Radio back to them and tell them where on our way."

………………………..

There's 9. Please send me some reviews, I haven't been getting any lately. And like I said, I will be taking a break from ECLIPSE for a while to work on my other stories so expect chapter 10 later next month.


	10. THE COMING STORM

Ok, sorry for the delay. I know I said I was taking a break to get some of my other fan fic's updated but did I get to them? …no. Aside from that, here's chapter 10! Njoy all!!

(CHAPTER 10) THE COMING STORM

"Yuna, find me a place to lay low until this dust settles." Eric said as he stumbled through the thick cloud of ash and dust from The Arch's collapse. "I'm trying to but all the debris is making it difficult to scan." Yuna told him. Eric looked back and forth trying to make out where he was. His helmets flashlights did little for helping him see through the thick cloud of dust and without his HUD he had no sense of direction. So until the dust cloud settled he was in the blind.

The Spartan coughed and wheezed from the dust. A flash of blue pulsed over where his visor used to be. Yuna told him, "There that should help with the dust." Eric reached his glove up and touched the small field of energy. "What is it?" He asked. Yuna told him, "It's a small barrier that will act as a visor for the time being. It won't stop a bullet but it will at least keep all of this dust out of your face." Eric slid his fingers across the blue energy and said, "Thanks."

He tried contacting Kalder. "Kalder come in." He waited and got nothing. He tried again. "Kalder, this is SPARTAN-45 come in." Yuna cut in. "Something's wrong. Your encrypted COM link has been disabled." What do you mean?" Eric asked. Yuna answered back as she frantically tried to sort this out. "I don't understand, this COM link was supposed to be undetectable by any other source, even the interference from the Covenant's ships can't interfere with them." Yuna paused for several seconds. "Something's not right. That COM link was channeled directly from The Twilight. There's no way that the debris from The Arch is the cause, the only other option is that something is going on with The Twilight." Eric tried to think of other options. "Is there any way you can get in touch with Mitsuki?" "No." Yuna answered. "The only way to get in touch with her is through your encrypted COM channel." Eric frowned and kept walking.

It was an eerie quiet as Kalder made his way through the heavy destruction. There were no more sounds of emergency sirens, no more sounds of distant weapons fire and no more sounds of a bustling metropolis. Kalder saw a flash of blue stream across his HUD. He stopped. "What was that?" He asked. Mitsuki gasped. "Something's wrong!" Mitsuki said in a panic. "What's going on?" Kalder asked. "I've lost contact with Yuna." Mitsuki said as she tried to troubleshoot the problem. "How?" Kalder asked. "I thought your communication with her could never be interfered with." She continued, "It's not supposed to able to be interfered with. That COM channel is linked directly through The Twilight. The only way it could be severed is if something happened to The Twilight and even if something did happen my back up COM should take over. I've had a failure in both systems."

Kalder opened his COM channel. "Eric, come in." All he got was static. "SPARTAN-73 to SPARTAN-45 come in!" He received nothing back. "I told you." Mitsuki told him. Kalder looked around. The thick dust made it impossible to tell where he was. He had even tried to use a topography map of the city but it was no use now. The landscape was completely changed. Where streets and sidewalks once were, mountains of twisted steel now blocked the road. He was completely lost and in the blind. Kalder sighed and said, "Mitsuki, try to find me the best way towards the city center." She paused and said, "What about Yuna and Eric?" Kalder stiffened his jaw and began to walk. He answered. "We still have a mission to complete. Eric will be fine. He can make it out of this."

Light began to peer through the thick dust clouds. It did little to help with visibility. The dust still made it to dark to see without a light source. Even with his enhanced vision he still had trouble determining his location. Eric looked at the small compass on his Assault Rifles ammo counter. "Hey Yuna, lets make this easier for the both of us. Change the compass setting on my Assault Rifle to point towards the City Center." "There." She said softly. The small screen on the Assault Rifle flashed and the direction changed. The needle was pointing in the opposite direction that he was walking in. At least he now had some since of where he was heading.

Something caught his eye. To his left he saw faint blue flashes. He instantly brought up his assault rifle and made his way towards the source. As he got closer he heard the sounds of electricity snapping. He lowered his weapon and approached the source of the light. He attached his Rifle to the back of his suit and ran his fingers across the alloy of a vehicle. His hopes rose. He had found a Hornet. It was badly damaged and looked like it had fallen and landed hard. He jumped up to the cockpit and looked inside. There was no pilot. He hopped in the seat and activated its power. The badly damaged Hornet hummed to life. He started up the engines and slowly began to rise. He said to Yuna, "Now we have a way to get to the city center, if it even still exists anyways." "Let's just hope for the best." Yuna told him.

The craft rose higher and punched through the roof of the dust cloud. "Holy shit." Eric said quietly as he looked at the destruction. The entire city was choked in a massive debris cloud. The Arch was completely destroyed. Only jagged pieces of twisted metal remained where it once was. It was just as he thought. The city center was now under a twisted heap of metal. He was sure no one was alive after that.

He rotated the craft in a 360 turn to survey the city. Only the tops of the massive skyscrapers could be seen above the dust cloud. Black plumes of smoke rose from the debris cloud, probably from fires within the chaos. Covenant Cruisers and Destroyers loomed high over the destruction at different points of the city. None had there gravity lifts operating and none were deploying troops, probably waiting for the dust to settle.

He saw a large storm coming in from the east. Aurora was known for having powerful thunderstorms and this one looked like it might be one of them. Streaks of lightning flashed within the oncoming storm and bands of rain could be seen falling in the distance. Yuna told him, "That storm is heading for the city so where probably gonna get hit with it." His focus turned away from the storm and refocused on the horizon.

Flaming debris began to rain down from the sky. Eric looked up and his eyes widened. Through the auroras, Eric saw massive explosions in space. "A space battle?" He asked. Yuna said. "That explains why my communications are malfunctioning." Eric hit several buttons on the controls. A small blue box flashed on the Hornets dash board that read, "Long Range Communication." He said to Yuna. "I know your communications are kinda in chaos right now but can you try to amplify this signal as much as you can?" She replied. "I can try but your going to have to interface me with the Hornets control system." Eric saw a small holo pad that was used for A.I. communication with Pilots. He put his hand above it. His glove sparked gold and he felt his mind loose grip with Yuna. Her figure appeared on the holo pad. She said with sass, "Wow, this piece of junk is nearly on its last leg." Eric sighed. "Well at least this heap is gonna get us out of here." Eric typed in a code on the Hornets small computer. It was a secret code that was directly linked to the bridge of The Twilight. "This is SPARTAN-45 calling The Twilight, can anyone hear me? Over." There was nothing but static. "SPARTAN-45 calling the bridge of The Twilight, does any body read me?" Through the static the Spartan heard a few sounds of a voice trying to answer back. He said to Yuna. "Isolate that signal and amp it for me." The voice came through the static. It was Commander Bowley.

"Say again Sir!" Eric said. Bowley replied, "I don't know how in the hell you made it through that attack but I'm damn grateful you did!" Eric replied. "Sir, I'm out of contact with SPARTAN-73 but he is alive. I managed to find a Hornet and I'm above the city trying to find any outposts. Are there any others besides the main outpost in the city center?" Eric heard a loud boom followed by Bowley shouting an order. "Sorry about that son, things are kinda hairy up here. Where fighting off boarding parties and a fleet of Cruisers. Additional reinforcements are on there way but right now it seems like there not going to make it in time." Eric looked up in the sky at the countless explosions above him. He then heard Bowley say, "I'm uploading a rout to a base that's being set up on the outskirts of Eclipse to Yuna. She should receive it soon. Once she receives it, have her send it to Mitsuki so you and SPARTAN-73 can rendezvous and get that base set up." "Understood." Eric said. There was a loud boom heard over the communication followed by static. Eric looked up and saw a bright flash. A massive explosion had just happened near or on The Twilight. Yuna reported. "I've received the location of the new base being set up. I'm uploading the rout to the Hornets main display screen."

The location appeared on the display. It was located right near the residential end of Eclipse. He froze. The new base was located two miles from his old house from when he was a boy. Before the military tore him away from his friends and family. The Hornets engine stalled and re-fired causing the craft to jerk. Eric re-focused and said. "Status?"

Yuna brought up a list of the Hornets schematics in front of her. As she looked at the crafts extensive damage she said. "Look I know it's not my place to be picky but do you think next time you could interface me with something a little more… less piece of shit and more in working order." Eric rolled his eyes. He replied, "Tell you what. When we get out of this, I'll interface you with a limo."

A bright flash filled the cockpit. Eric saw Yuna look up at the sky. He did the same. High above in the heavens he saw a massive explosion. Yuna said in a panic, "That was one of the orbital MAC Stations!" Immediately burning debris began to rain down through the atmosphere. Eric powered up the Hornets engines and flew forward. He maneuvered the craft the best he could trying to dodge the burning rubble. He saw a massive piece of debris falling. It was the MAC Cannon tower that stood in the middle of the station. He watched it crash down through the dust cloud and crash into the ground nearly a mile and a half away from him. His lack of focus was a mistake. A large piece of debris came crashing down on the Hornets right engine. The graft shuddered and began to spiral towards the ground one mile below. The Spartan fought for control and he heard Yuna yell, "Get me back in your armor!" He placed his hand over the holo pad and felt Yuna re-enter his mind. He said to her trying to stay as calm as possible. "Yuna, when we get close to the surface dump the fuel pods and then get ready to over pressurize my suit when he hit." "All right, try to keep us as stable as possible and then hang on."

As Eric fought to control the tumbling craft he tried to find a safe place to land. It was next to impossible with the thick debris cloud below him. "Yuna, what's below us?" He asked. "If you can manage to keep a steady course down we should land near one of the city's main highways. If not then where going to crash into structures." Over the screaming of the Hornets warning alarms he answered back as he fought for control, "Then let's shoot for the highway!" Eric looked at the altimeter, 1,400 feet. "Yuna, drop the fuel pods!" The craft shuddered and the pods popped off. The remaining engine died and the Hornet dropped like a rock. The thick dust cloud offered no visibility. He was once again in the blind. He looked at the altimeter, 560 feet and it was dropping quickly. "Yuna! Get ready!" Eric shut his eyes and waited. A few seconds later he felt his suit squeeze around him and heard a loud crash.

Meanwhile Kalder had managed to find his way onto one of the city's main roads. The dust was beginning to slowly settle and visibility was getting slightly better. Not by much but it was an improvement. Kalder began to see bright orange flashes through the thick dust. They were coming from the sky. He knew it wasn't from the Auroras. This glow was coming from something burning. Aside from seeing the orange flashes. He began to hear the sounds of impacts. "What the hell?" He mumbled. "Meteors?" Mitsuki answered, "Those aren't meteors, there pieces of a ship." Kalder asked, "Are the Covenant attacking the ships orbiting Aurora or was there an explosion?" "I honestly don't know." Mitsuki said. "There's too much interference for me to do a scan and I'm out of contact with everyone." So my guess is there's something major going on in outer orbit."

Kalder saw an intense orange light approaching him. "Speaking of something major, something major is heading right for us." Kalder said as he began to run. His adrenaline kicked in and his speed increased. He looked back and saw a massive object crashing down behind him. It impacted and the ground shock. A shock wave flew past Kalder knocking him off balance. He stood and turned. He saw a massive MAC Cannon tower lying in a burning heap that was now blocking his path. Mitsuki said in shock, "That's a MAC Cannon from one of the orbital guns." Kalder stood and looked at the burning piece of the former MAC Gun. He knew the Covenant wasn't finished yet. They were waiting for the dust to settle down on the city and attacking the orbital perimeter while they waited. Kalder said to Mitsuki. "We need to get back up to The Twilight."

………………………………………………………….

For the fans of Eclipse, you'll be pleased to know that I already have chapter 11 started so it should hopefully be up in a few days. Hopefully by Saturday. So until then, drop me some reviews and let me know what you think so far. Feel free to offer plot suggestions. I like to hear what you guys want to have happen in my stories. So let me know!


	11. RAIN

Well, it took a while but I finished this chapter at around 4:30 this morning. I'm rather pleased with this one and I hope you guys like it too. (Looks at the clock) It's nearly 5AM and the suns starting to come up so enjoy the new chap and Bed time for me!

(CHAPTER 11) RAIN

SPARTAN-73's boots impacted on the hard pavement as he jumped down from the elevated highway. Kalder stood back up and looked ahead of him. There was only one way past the wreckage of the MAC Cannon. He walked up to the fallen piece of the orbital gun and began rooting around in the twisted alloy. "What are you looking for?" Mitsuki asked. "The maintenance corridor, it's the only way where gonna get past this thing without backtracking." Kalder heard his A.I. sigh. She said slightly annoyed, "There." As she updated a NAV point on her Spartans HUD. Kalder paused for a second then continued. "That works too I guess." Mitsuki's annoyance grew. "You know, all you had to say was, Hey Mitsuki! Can you show my where the corridor is to maybe save us some time?" Kalder pushed some metal plating out of the way and forced open the maintenance access way. He hopped inside and replied, "Yeah but you know me, I'm thick headed." Mitsuki smirked to herself. "That's the understatement of the century."

The corridor was illuminated by red emergency lights. Only some illuminated his path, the rest had been shattered on impact. The flashlights on his helmet peered through the dust and smoke as Kalder made his way through the corridor. The walls were charred black, either from fire from the explosion or from the atmosphere. The occasional spark of electricity would light up the area as he made his way towards the far end of the tower. Something caught his eye and he stopped. "What is it?" Mitsuki asked. Kalder forced out a piece of purple alloy and looked at it. "This is a piece from a Covenant anti ship bomb." Kalder tossed the piece of shrapnel on the floor and kept going. He said, "Well now we know what happened to this station."

Eric groaned. He inhaled and re focused his vision. He heard Yuna. "Are you alright soldier boy?" "That hurt." He muttered as he gathered himself. He hit the control to open the canopy of the Hornet. It didn't move. "That's not surprising." He said. "If you want I can over ride it for you." Yuna told him. "No thanks, I got it." Eric said as he punched out the canopy window and hopped out. "Even after a crash like that you're still as barbaric as ever." Yuna said with sass. Eric looked at the Hornet. It was totaled to say the least. The frame was badly twisted and its remaining wing had a small fire pluming from its motor. "Any idea where we are?" He asked his A.I.. "You managed to land right next to Highway 22. If we stay on it we should head right towards the new base." The Highway led right through the downtown area nearly twenty miles from where The Arch fell." The odds of finding many blocked roads were unlikely but with the amount of damage done to the city, he wasn't asking for miracles. A flash of light ripped through the sky. Eric immediately pulled out his Assault Rifle and readied himself for anything. "Relax." Yuna told him. A few seconds later a rumble of thunder tore through the city. He lowered his weapon. "Sorry, I'm just a little jumpy." The Spartan started walking, "I guess that storm is going to hit quicker then I thought."

Drops of rain began to fall. "I just had to say it." He thought to himself. He continued walking down the dusty road under the steadily increasing rainfall. The heavy thump of his boots was occasionally muted by a crack of thunder. He found a small square in front of a building. The fountain in the middle was choked with dust and debris and the flower beds had been blown away by the force of The Arch's collapse. Eric sat on a small stone wall. He took his helmet off and let the cool kiss of rain touch his face. He pulled off his gloves and let his ghost pale skin feel the cool water. He cupped his hands and let them fill with water. He brought them up and splashed his face. He washed away the dirt and blood and let himself relax for a minute. His body was weak and torn and he needed a break. With exhaustion beginning to set in the cool rain did well to wake him back up. He let his long electric blue hair dangle in front of his face and let the cool rain drip from his hair. After a few moments of his quick break he slicked his chin length hair back and put his gloves and helmet back on. His suit hissed and recompressed itself. "Feel better?" Yuna asked softly. "Much." Eric said as he started walking.

Kalder continued his trek through the maintenance access way. He heard something pelting the alloy outside. "What is that?" He asked. Mitsuki calmly told him, "Nothing to worry about, it's just rain." Kalder nodded and kept going. He reached a rather large vent hole. He squeezed through it and nearly lost his footing on the smooth metal surface. He was now in the MAC Cannon's barrel. He saw light and followed it. The Cannon had landed at an angle making Kalder's attempt too climb upwards on the smooth surface rather tricky. Water began to stream down. The rain water was making his already tricky climb harder.

After a few minutes of carefully making his way to the top, Kalder pulled himself out of the top of the MAC Cannon. He looked around. The rain was beginning to settle the dust and making it much easier for him to see. Below him, he saw a road. "That's high way 56." Mitsuki told him. "If we stay on it, it should lead right to the city center." Kalder shook his head. He was up high enough to get a decent view of the skyline. In the distance he saw jagged twisted pieces of steel and rubble. "No, we have to find another way." Mitsuki argued back. "What do you mean another way?" Kalder replied, "Look Mitsuki, the city center is completely destroyed. Even if we are supposed to head there, what's left for us when we get there? Where heading towards the outskirts. Maybe there's an emergency base set up by now."

Kalder climbed down the rubble and stepped onto the pavement. He started walking in the rain and said, "Get me a NAV marker leading to the outskirts."

The rain fell in a constant barrage on SPARTAN-45. He was walking down the now abandoned highway trying to make his way to the newly established base. He asked, "Have you been able to link back up with Mitsuki at all?" Yuna answered, "No, I can try another scan now that the dust is settling. But I doubt I'm going to pick up anything." Eric shrugged, "Well, all you can do is try." Yuna went quiet while she scanned and Eric kept walking. A few seconds later Yuna replied. "I'm picking up something…" Eric asked. "Is it Kalder and Mitsuki?" "No." She answered. "This is a life form and it's near our location." Eric froze. "What kind of life form?" Yuna said, "Hang on a sec." Eric aimed back and forth ready to kill. Yuna continued, "I don't know what it is but I'm picking up a heart beat." "Is it from a Covenant?" Eric asked. "I don't know." Yuna replied, "But it's coming from the forth floor of that high rise to your left." Eric looked at the building. It was a large residential high rise building. He wanted to just forget it and keep moving but he also realized the possibility of a Covenant sniper waiting for him. He walked towards the building. "Forth floor huh?" He asked. Yuna told him. "You're about to take me on another crazy side mission aren't you?" "Look's that way." He answered back.

Eric walked up to the door. He slowly pushed it open and put in the barrel of his Assault Rifle through first. Nothing happened. He slowly made his way into the buildings dark lobby. The emergency power lights were on so the building for the most part was dark. He cautiously made his way over to a flight of stairs. He walked as quietly as he could. His heavy armor did little for keeping his footsteps quiet. He reached the forth floor and slowly opened the door. He immerged in a dark hallway lined with plasma burns, dead bodies, and blood covered apartment doors. Clearly the Covenant had been through here. "Which way." He quietly asked Yuna. The A.I. told him. "Head towards the right, I'm picking up motion towards that direction." Eric held his rifle in SWAT position readying himself for any possible attack. The small lights on his MJOLNIR reflected off of the blood soaked walls and the ammo counter of his Assault Rifle gave off an eerie blue glow. A loud crash of thunder made him jump. He quickly spun on his heel only to see the long eerie dark blood covered hallway before him. He shook his head and kept moving.

Kalder meanwhile was stuck out in the storm. Kalder asked, "So how far away are the outskirts exactly?" Mitsuki answered, "Exactly 54.8 miles away." Kalder groaned loudly. "It figures I get stranded in the largest city in the universe. When we get out of this, I'm requesting time off." Kalder saw something ahead of him in the distance. He picked up his pace and ran. He got close enough to realize what he had found. He sighed with relief. He had found a civilian W2, or the civilian version of the Warthog. It's bright red paint would make him stand out like a sore thumb to any Covenant but he didn't care, he now had a way to get to the outskirts. He pulled out Mitsuki's chip and held it at the driver's side door. He said, "Mitsuki, override the lock please." Her chip flashed green and the lock popped open. He put her chip back in and hopped inside. The non military grade vehicle creaked under the weight of his suit and the driver's seat nearly gave out from the sheer weight of his MJOLNIR. Kalder quickly hotwired the vehicle and he put it in drive.

His heavy foot steps echoed through the darkness of the hallway. It was these types of situations he hated most. The feeling of not know what waited for him in a close quarters area. He had even considered forgetting this whole side mission and continuing on his way. Maybe it was his curiosity getting the better of him, hell for all he knew it could be a Marine or worst case, it's a Covenant ambush. Either way, he was determined to find out. He felt his suit warm slightly. Yuna always did it when she felt his fear level rising. It was her way of letting him know that she was with him, a feeling he welcomed in these situations.

Yuna calmly told him, "Two doors down on your left." He approached the door and a rumble of thunder echoed through the hallway. He decided the quiet approach was best. He quietly tried the door. It was locked. He pulled out Yuna's chip and held it near the doors small code key pad. He quietly said, "Override." Her chip flashed blue and the door slid open. He quickly put her chip back in and she come back online with him. With his rifle at the ready he slowly entered the apartment.

He aimed back and forth and saw nothing. However, he did notice several plasma burns on the walls. He looked in the living room and kitchen but both were empty. To his right he saw a short hallway. Yuna told him quietly, "The last door." Eric nodded and slowly made his way down. He paused in front of the door. He pulled his rifle in close to his chest and put the side of his helmet against the door trying to see if he could hear any movement. He heard nothing. He held up his rifle and slammed his boot against the door instantly kicking it down. He quickly went inside and aimed at an object. He heard a scream of terror. He instantly froze and whipped his finger away from the trigger.

Kalder cautiously made his way down the debris filled road in the pouring down rain. He tried the radio to see if he could pick up anything. He tried all of the stations and got nothing but static. After several failed attempts he managed to pick up an emergency broadcast.

"This is a warning to all citizens of Aurora. Chancellor Izumi is calling for a planet wide evacuation. I repeat, a planet wide Evacuation is now in effect for the entire planet of Aurora. Emergency UNSC Evac crafts are awaiting all citizens in all major cities of Aurora. All citizens are urged to take only there essentials and leave behind all personal belongings and get to an Evac craft as soon as possible…"

Kalder yelled out. "Those idiots!" How do that plan to get past the fleet of Covenant ships!?" Mitsuki told him calmly, "Reinforcements are coming Kalder. There going to hold off the Covenant as long as they can while the Evac ships escape. We've seen it done before, you know it will be ok." Kalder frowned and kept driving. It was the little things like that that made him edgy.

Eric attached his Assault Rifle to the back of his battle suit. Before him he saw a little girl no older then six with long white hair and bright purple eyes wearing a blue and white sailor school uniform. She was alone, scared and crying. Eric cautiously approached her. She whimpered in fear and backed herself against the wall as the huge armored figure approached her. "The poor girl." Yuna said quietly. He calmly said. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." She ignored him and tried to hide herself. "It's alright; I'm here to help you." The Spartan said as he slowly kneeled down and took off his helmet. His long electric blue hair fell in place around his face. He said, "You see, I'm an Auroran like you." The little girl saw he was the same as her under his battle suit and that he wasn't here to hurt her. She instantly ran to his arms and cried. He wrapped her in his armored arms and calmly told her, "Its ok, I'm going to get you out of here."

In between her cries she uttered out, "Are the monsters gone?" He knew she meant the Covenant. Now he knew they had been through here. He answered back calmly, "Yeah, I got rid of them all." She cried harder and said, "They, killed mommy and daddy." The Spartan froze. In between her scattered breaths she continued, "I heard loud noises coming from the other room and I heard… them screaming." Eric loosened his grip. He said calmly. "Wait here a second sweetie." She obeyed. He pulled his rifle off of his back and walked out of the girl's room and went to the door next to hers. He slid the door open and nearly dropped his rifle at the sight. Blood covered the walls and the bodies of two civilians lay in the middle of it all. Yuna gasped and said, "They killed them while she listened. How savage can those bastards be?" Eric shook his head. The Spartan slowly walked in and searched the man's body for some form of identification. He found a wallet in the man's pocket and he pulled it out. Inside he found his I.D. Good, it would help locate the girl's family when he got her to an Evac. He also found a picture of the family. The mother and father with the smiling face of the girl he had just found in the middle. He placed the picture and the I.D. in one of his armors side pouches to keep it safe until he reached Evac. He closed the door and went back to the girl's room. He found her sitting hugging his helmet to her chest. He kneeled down in front of her. She looked up at him as she whipped away tears from her bright purple eyes. He said, "I'm getting you out of here and I'm going to take you somewhere safe." She quietly nodded. Eric found her small rain coat hanging in her closet. He handed it to her and said, "Put this on, it's raining pretty hard out." She stood and he helped her put on her rain coat. He was amazed at how tiny she was compared to him. He picked his helmet up and put it on and his sit compressed around him.

After she put her coat on he knelt down and picked her up. He quickly carried her out past the room where her parents were. He opened the front door and they came back into the blood stained hall. He didn't want her to see any of it, especially the bodies. He said calmly to her. "Don't look honey." Having been through enough she obeyed. Eric held up his assault rifle with one hand while holding the girl in the other. A loud crack of thunder echoed through the hall and she yelped in fear. He kept moving and said to her, "It's alright, I'm not going to let anything bad get you." She buried her face in the chest plate of his armor while he made his way down the hallway.

As he was heading down the stairs he opened up his COM. He knew no one was probably going to answer but he tried anyway. "This is SPARTAN-45. I have a civilian child in need of Evac. I repeat, I have a civilian child in need of immediate Evac. I'm on Highway 22 heading towards the outskirts requesting assistance from any UNSC forces, over." As he made his way through the lobby he thought to himself, "God I hope someone gets that."

He pulled the girls hood up over hear head and they both went back out into the storm. The rain had now become a downpour pelting them both with an endless wave of water. He remembered these powerful storms from when he was a child. They could last for days at a time. He used his armor to shelter her from the rain the best he could. He said, "Yuna, lower my shields." "What? Why?" She argued. "If she's exposed I am too." He heard his suits alarms beep as his shields vanished. He tried to help her clear her mind. He asked. "What's your name honey?" She replied quietly, "I'm Yuki." "That's a pretty name." he told her. She was quiet for a few seconds then asked, "How about you? What's your name?" The Spartan answered, "I'm Eric." She asked, "Where are you taking me?" "I'm taking you to a place where there going to get you away from this war. You're going to get to ride on a space ship and there going to take you somewhere safe away from all of this." He told her reassuringly.

The wind picked up and the rain pelted down. Yuki began to shiver. "Yuna, monitor her." Eric attached his rifle to his back and wrapped his other arm around her trying to keep her warm.

An hour had passed since he had found Yuki. He did the best he could to take her mind off the situation by telling her stories of what he had seen and the places he had been over his military career. He told her that he was a SPARTAN, and that how he and the other Spartans were looked to as heroes. It helped to pass the time and keep her calm. However the exposure to the drop in temperature and constant barrage of cold rain took its toll. Yuna came on over his helmets speakers. "Eric, her body temperature is dropping. We need to get her out of this storm." The Spartan nodded and found a large sky scraper. He went to the door and had Yuna hack the lock system. The door popped open. He got inside and shut the door. "Yuna, lock it back down." He heard the door latch shut. He set Yuki down and held onto her tiny hand as he looked around. The buildings lobby was rather large and had a balcony running along the top. That was his best bet to stay out of sight if ground troops should wander by.

He picked Yuki back up and went up a flight of stairs to the balcony. There was a small food court and a lounge. He walked over to one of the small food stands. "Are you hungry?" He asked her. She nodded. He hopped one of the counters and pulled out some ready made box lunches the stands offered and grabbed a few drinks. He led Yuki over to the lounge and sat her down on the large sofa. The weight of his battle suit would break it in two so he sat on the floor. He didn't mind, he needed a break. He said quietly to her, "There's no power so where going to have to eat them cold." "I don't mind." She said quietly. The two sat quietly and ate. He saw Yuki shiver. Her school uniform of a dress shirt, vest, and mini skirt wasn't doing well for keeping her warm. "Wait here." He told her. A look of panic came across her. "Where are you going!?" She asked frantically. "It's alright," he told her. "I'm just going to find some blankets."

He walked down the balcony and found a supply room. He opened the door and found some sheets. He grabbed a few of them. They weren't anything special but at least it would keep her warm. He walked back and found Yuki clutching her knees to her chest on the couch. She sat in a blank stare thinking about everything that had happened to her. The shock of loosing her parents had left her stunned. Eric sympathized. He hadn't seen his parents since he was her age, back before the military took everything away. He wrapped a few sheets around her and said, "There, that should warm you up." He sat on the floor next to the sofa she was lying on. She lay down and asked, "What about you? Won't you be cold too?" Eric smiled and said, "I'm ok, my armor keeps me warm." "Oh." She uttered out. Yuki rested her head down and within seconds was asleep. The whole ordeal had worn her out. Eric genteelly stroked her cheek with his glove. "The poor girl." He said to Yuna. She told him, "She'll be ok, where going to get her to an Evac and they'll get her to safety." Eric said, "If we ever get to one." "We will," Yuna told him reassuringly. "But for right now, you should rest up. Where not going anywhere until this storm passes. Her little body wont be able to take it. It would be different if it was just the two of us but for right now its best if we lay low for a bit." Eric nodded and slowly closed his emerald eyes. "You're right. I'm exhausted anyway. Just keep a look out for any motion aside from our own." "I will." She replied quietly as she constricted the MJOLNIR's black layer giving her Spartan a hug. Eric soon fell asleep with his rifle at his said should anything happen. He needed the rest and he needed to get Yuki to safety.

The Warthog's engine roared as Kalder flew down the road. He wanted out of this city and he wanted to meet back up with some Marines. This war was starting to get to him. The constant combat and his ever worsening situation was lowering his morale. He felt Mitsuki leave his mind. His eyes widened from his A.I.'s sudden jump. His gloves sparked gold and Mitsuki interfaced herself with the Warthog. The engine and headlights died and the vehicle ground to a halt. "What the hell was that for!?" Kalder yelled. "Shut up a minute!" Mitsuki shot back, "And don't move." Kalder argued back, "Mitsuki what's going on!?" Kalder heard an all to familiar rumble. He looked up and saw five Covenant Phantoms flying in a V formation heading towards the downtown area. "That's why." She told him. Kalder frowned. "So, there back already."

…………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 12 should be done around this time next week. Drop me some reviews in the mean time. Later all.


	12. SILICON WORLD

Not much opening chatter for this one, probably because I'm tired as hell. Anyway, enjoy chapter 12 :)

(CHAPTER 12) SILICON WORLD

"Commander Bowley calling for immediate assistance from any UNSC ships! The Twilight is under heavy assault, repeat The Twilight is under heavy assault!" Commander Bowley was in a constant rat race of shouting orders and calling for help. The Twilight was in the middle of a massive battle trying to keep anymore Covenant ships from reaching Aurora. Only a small fleet of UNSC ships was left standing and with reinforcements still not arriving, Commander Bowley was at his wits end.

The Twilight shuddered. Commander Bowler yelled out, "Rika! Get me ship status ASAP!" A small A.I. with long purple hair appeared. Amongst her glowing purple aura she pulled up several holograms of the ship. "Hull damage is getting more severe Commander. I highly recommend evasive actions are taken." Amongst the constant sound of the MAC cannon shuddering through the ship Commander Bowley replied sternly. "No! We have to hold the perimeter until reinforcements arrive. I'm not letting any more of those bastards get passed me." The ship shuddered violently from a plasma round. Commander Bowley grabbed onto the wall to keep his balance. "Sir, at this rate we may not be here when reinforcements arrive." Rika reported. A bright flash glared through the front viewport. One of the ships pilots reported, "Sir! One of our frigates was just destroyed!" "Damn it!" Bowley growled. He looked back at Rika. "Have you managed to re establish a connection with the Spartans yet?" "No." She replied, "The damaged Encrypted COM system is preventing me from making any communication with them. However as you saw before, if the Spartans manage to link either Yuna or Mitsuki up with a vehicle or any other system that has long range communications, I can patch them through to you."

Bowley looked out at Aurora amongst the chaos of ships firing on one another. He asked, "Can you at least tell me there location?" Rika brought up a holo map of the City of Eclipse. She said, "SPARTAN-45 has been stationary at this location for about 7 hours. My guess is he's resting. SPARTAN-73 has been heading towards the location of the reserve base that's being established." Bowley looked back at the massive planet. He saw a huge storm cloud covering a large section of the Aurora. The occasional flash of lightning would run through the clouds. He sighed and said, "Get communication re established as quickly as possible Rika, and as soon as reinforcements arrive, send them planet side."

The constant roar of rain pelted against the glass windows of the sky scraper. Eric awoke and looked around. The storm was still hammering down on the city and was showing no sign of letting up anytime soon. "Did you sleep well?" Yuna asked. The Spartan replied, "After a battle like that, any sleep I get is wonderful." Eric looked at Yuki. Her tiny body was curled up under her blanket. She had trails of tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've been monitoring her while you slept." Yuna said. "She was crying in her sleep and her brain activity was going wild." Eric whipped a fresh tear from her cheek. "She's having bad dreams, I can't blame her though. Not after what she just went through."

Eric looked outside. He told Yuna. "We still can't go. With the weather as bad as it is she couldn't handle it. If it were just me I wouldn't have a problem with it." Yuna sighed. "Don't you think she might be jeopardizing our mission? I mean, Commander Bowley did say not to help civilians unless it was a dire necessity." "You don't think her situation is dire?" He asked sternly. Yuna replied, "Given our situation, I'm merely saying that she's slowing us down. Perhaps we should leave her here and send a rescue party for her later while we continue…" Eric cut her off. "Enough Yuna! You can't just leave a child alone in a war torn city with god knows what waiting for her out there. What would she do if the Covenant came back and we were gone!?" Yuna argued back. "But does the life of one little girl compare to the millions that could be lost if we don't do something!? I mean for god sake Eric, her parents are already dead, what does she have to live for?" Eric slowly stood and walked down the balcony, he rounded a corner and stopped. "Yuna, don't you ever think that because a human life is alone that it is a waste! Apparently you're forgetting I was alone after I was thrown into the Spartan program. Does that make my life a waste? Just because I haven't seen my parents since I was a child and I don't even know if there still alive, does that mean my life is a waste too!?" Eric stopped and calmed himself down. He wasn't prone to outbursts like this. He breathed in and lowered his voice. "I highly suggest you think more carefully about things like this Yuna. If you were human you would understand what I mean." A blue pulse flashed across his vision. Yuna's processes went wild. He thought it was from him yelling at her. He had never talked to her harshly before and he just assumed that she didn't know how to react.

Eric rested his back against the wall and crossed his arms. "You've never yelled at me before." Yuna said softly. Eric sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry. Just think before you say something next time." She didn't respond. Eric shook his head and slicked his hair back. The stress from this battle was setting in. His morale was beginning to drain from his ever worsening situation and from not knowing if he would make it out of this battle alive. He looked down at his armor. The blue and red alloy was covered in scuffs and scratches. He slowly ran the fingers of his gloves across the slash marks that the Theta had sliced on his chest plate. Now that he thought about it, he looked at them as a war trophy. One he could show Kalder and brag about if he ever found him again. Eric felt a slight rumble. He slowly looked up and heard the humming grow louder. He slowly pulled his Assault Rifle off the back of his suit and held it up. Outside the large windows of the Skyscrapers lobby he saw five Phantoms in a V formation. "You've got to be shitting me!" He said to himself.

Eric ran down the balcony. He found Yuki still sleeping. He quickly put his helmet back on and said, "Yuna, bring my shields online." His suit hummed and sparks of gold light flashed around him. He genteelly nudged Yuki's shoulder. He said calmly, "Honey wake up. We have to go now." She groaned and rubbed her eyes. She sat up and Eric helped get her rain coat back on. He picked her up and made his way downstairs and he hid behind the lobby's front desk. "There landing a few hundred feet away from our location." Yuna reported. Yuki sat behind the counter and nervously asked. "What's going on?" Eric said calmly. "Don't worry, everything is alright."

Eric looked and Yuki and said. "I need you to do something for me. I need you to stay behind this counter and be as quiet as you can. Can you do that for me?" She nodded. Eric smiled under his helmet. "Good girl." Eric flipped the safety off his assault rifle. "Yuna, Ammo count." "320 MA5C Rounds and two Fragmentation grenades." Eric looked back at Yuki. "You wait right here and don't move no matter what and remember, be as quiet as you can." She nodded and hid herself under the large front desk. Eric cautiously made his way towards the front windows to get a look outside. He saw one of the Phantoms landed on the road outside. He didn't know where the other four were. He saw a Brute and several Grunts descend from the ships small grav lift and head towards the building he was in. Eric ran back for the front desk. He crouched down and said to Yuki. "No matter what happens, don't be scared, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She nodded with glassy eyes. Heavy foot steps of a brute echoed through the silence as the alien approached the building. Eric narrowed his eyes and silently clicked off his rifles safety.

The Warthog sped down the rain soaked highway. The ever worsening storm made it hard for Kalder to drive. Flashes of lighting illuminated the interior of the vehicle. For the most part, Kalder welcomed the change in transportation. To him it beat walking the rest of the way. Kalder looked out the driver's side window at the city. There was still no power and every structure and street light stood black. "Look out!" Mitsuki yelled. Kalder saw a pile of debris ahead of him in the Warthogs headlights. He quickly stomped on the break and the vehicle ground to a halt. Kalder stepped out of the Warthog and into the pouring down rain.

He turned out his helmets flashlights and walked towards the wall of rubble. The wall was easily thirty feet high and spanned the width of the elevated highway. "Did part of a building collapse?" He asked. Mitsuki replied back, "No, this was built to stop someone, or to stop us even." "Is that so?" Kalder said as he walked back to the Warthog. He opened the door and shut off the vehicle and grabbed his weapons. "Got a plan?" Mitsuki asked. "Yep." Kalder said as he began to climb up the pile of rubble. "Where going to go over."

The constant downpour of rain made his climb tricky. When he reached the top he was stunned. The elevated highway had been destroyed and all that remained was a fifty foot drop to the surface ahead of him. Kalder looked to his left. He saw a massive sky scraper. He jumped down from the debris pile and back onto the road. He walked over to the concrete wall and jumped up on top of it. "Odds are that building has a parking garage. We can probably find another vehicle down there." Kalder said as he slid down the debris pile back to the city surface.

Kalder made his way around the foundation of the building and found a ramp leading down to a parking garage. Again, another set back. The roadway leading into the parking garage was sealed off with a large metal door. He looked around the area for any way to open the door. Through the thick curtain of rain he found a small key pad on the wall next to the door. "Can you override it?" He asked. Mitsuki answered. "I can't, this structure has a very intricate security system. You'll have to upload me into the buildings main frame and I'll be able to deactivate the security door.

Eric peeked around the edge of the buildings front desk. The Covenant troops were scanning the area outside the structures parameter. Eric whispered to Yuki. "Wait right here and don't make a sound." She nodded quietly. Eric quickly dashed from behind the desk and hid behind the corner of a wall. He inched his head out just enough to see what the Covenant troops were doing. He saw the Brute motion his troops towards the front entrance. Eric looked at Yuki's position. The front desk was at the opposite end of the large lobby. With any luck the Covenant wouldn't even bother searching that area. Eric heard a series of beeps and heard the door unlatch. He looked over at the main entrance. Eric quietly said. "Yuna let me know if anything gets to close to Yuki's position." She replied, "Don't worry; I was planning on doing that anyway."

The Brute violently forced open the door. In its animalistic voice it shouted, "Spread out and find it! We know it's in this area!" Eric whispered to Yuna, "What does he mean, find it?" Yuna replied, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Eric watched the Covenant fumble around the lobby. The Brute stood guard while the Grunts aimlessly ran around the large open room rooting and rummaging through things. Several of the grunts wandered uneasily close to Yuki's location. To close for Eric's liking. Yuna told him, "Her heart rate is going up." Eric answered back. "She's just scared, she'll be ok." Still, he didn't want to risk her life anymore then he already had. The Spartan heard something fall behind the front desk and an echo tore into the empty lobby. The Grunt's jumped and yelped while the Brute pulled out its Brute Shot and walked towards the desk. "Oh no!" Yuna said nervously. Eric quickly pulled the bolt on his rifle and a round popped out. He gripped the round in his hand and threw it up on the balcony. Just as planned the round clacked off of a glass panel and the Covenants attention turned to the upper level of the lobby.

"You two, wait here. The rest of you come with me!" The Brute ordered as it headed to the upper lever to investigate the sound. Two Grunts stood in the way of Eric getting Yuki out of the building. He had two options, shoot them and make his presence known or try and sneak around them. Eric attached his Rifle to the back of his suit and crept out towards the Grunts. Both had there backs turned to him. Good, it would make it easy for him. With a lightning fast motion, he grabbed both of the Grunts by the neck and squeezed. They both gurgled and clawed at his gloves. He held the two aliens up in the air until there bodies went limp and dangled lifeless. He quietly set the bodies down and ran behind the counter. He scooped up Yuki and whispered, "Come on, we have to go." Yuki gripped onto his armor and buried her face in his chest plate. Eric ran through the lobby and out the door back into the pouring down rain.

Kalder found the front entrance to the skyscraper. The door was locked. He asked, "Can you hack through this door?" Mitsuki answered, "This one I can get through. It only has a standard locking system." Kalder pulled out her chip and held it in front of the doors lock. Her chip sparked neon green and the door popped open. Kalder pushed the door open and walked in. The lobby was in shambles. Overturned furniture and broken pieces of glass and wood littered the room. Either everyone left in a panic or the collapse of The Arch was to blame. He stood and looked for a front desk to access the buildings main frame but couldn't find one. Kalder heard metal clanging. He jumped and pulled out his weapon. Steel plates began to slam down in front of the windows. Kalder quickly turned and tried the door. No good. It was sealed shut. "What the hell!?" He yelled. "A security lockdown." Mitsuki said. The lobby was now in darkness. Kalder turned on his helmets flashlights and looked around. Mitsuki told him. "I did a quick scan of the buildings ground floor layout. There's a holo panel in the security office of this building. Probably used for a lesser A.I. Get me to it and I can hack into the buildings security system." A NAV point appeared on Kalder's HUD and he followed it to a door with the word "SECURITY" on it. Kalder opened the door and stepped into the office. Inside the office was chaos. Papers and junk were scattered all over the room. Kalder saw a desk with a rather large computer system on it. He pushed a pile of paper and debris onto the floor. He found the holo panel attached to the computer.

"Is there even any power for you to interface yourself with it?" He asked his A.I. Mitsuki said, "The structures backup power is still functioning so there should be enough to power me up." As Kalder was about to pull her chip out to interface her with the buildings system, he froze. His eye caught a red gleam. He turned his head and saw blood splattered on the wall next to him. The room was so dark he hadn't even noticed it when he came in. He knelt down and saw a leg coming out from under the desk. Kalder swallowed hard. He looked down and saw a dead civilian in a security guard uniform. Kalder checked the body. He found a large slash across his chest, clearly from a large blade. "There's no plasma burns, could it be from the bayonet of a brute shot?" "I don't know." Mitsuki answered. "Just get me interfaced with this place so we can get out of here." Kalder looked at the dead security guard. "Are you sure you want interfaced with this place?" He asked. She replied bravely. "How else are you going to get past all of these security systems? Now stop asking pointless questions and get me uploaded with this place." Kalder shrugged and pulled out her chip. The neon green glow from her chip illuminated the room.

Kalder held her over the holo panel and her chip sparked neon green. Her tiny figure appeared on the holo panel. She straightened out her green and black mini skirt and glasses and said, "Wow this place is a wreck." Kalder asked, "Can you get past these systems?" She replied, "Yes but this system is in complete chaos." Mitsuki paused and said, "Hang on, something's not right here." Kalder knelt down next to the holo pad and asked. "Why what's wrong?" Mitsuki put her hands on her hips and said, "You can check this out for starters." Out of a tiny slit on the holo pad popped out a small chip that was supposed to house an A.I. Kalder picked it up and looked at it. The chip looked beat up. Almost as if there was a power surge and the chip had been fried. The crystal in the center of the chip was dark and cracked and the circuitry was badly damaged. This A.I. had either been destroyed or was simply non existent anymore. Kalder put the chip in the belt pouch of his armor. For some reason, he felt the urge to hold onto it. He looked back at Mitsuki and said, "Are you sure you're going to be ok in here?" She sighed and said, "I would be lying if I said yes. Just hurry up and get out to the lobby. Wait for me to disarm the system then you can pick me up down at the parking garage. I'll be fine until then." Kalder shrugged and headed for the door.

Mitsuki watched as her Spartan left her in the dark security room. The truth was, she knew something was really wrong but she didn't want her Spartan to act rashly in a situation where a rash action could end badly. In her cyber world, she had a complete visualization of the sky scraper, all of its one hundred and fifty floors and its other sublevels such as the parking garage and basement. Eclipse's massive skyscrapers gave her a lot of room to move around. She was used to being interfaced with massive Starships like the Twilight where she would have massive grounds to keep herself occupied. While she did enjoy being with her Spartan in his armor it was to cramped for her. And despite this being a nice change she was nervous. The cyber world she found herself wandering around in was in complete disarray. Systems had been crashed, circuits were fried and her women's intuition was giving her the feeling that not only her Spartan was in danger but herself as well.

She continued walking in her cyber world of a matrix of text and numeric figures all the while the green halo of light danced around her well figured body. From a human point of view she would be moving at the speed of light but from her eyes she was merely walking there her silicon world looking for a solution to her Spartans problem. Mitsuki extended her hand and moved it in a horizontal motion in front of her. Before her a massive room appeared that seemed to extend out into infinity. She had found the systems main frame. She held out her hands and her body was wrapped in neon green light. She watched as countless figures scrolled across her vision. The buildings computer system was much larger then she had anticipated. She snapped her fingers and the scrolling text stopped. "Gotcha." She said with a smile. Before her a ball of light appeared. Good, she had found the security system. She opened her personal COM channel to Kalder and said. "I'm in the main frame and I'm about to override the security system." Kalder replied, "Alright, I'll be waiting by the front door."

Mitsuki quickly searched through the matrix of files to try and override them. She knew that she was being monitored and she wanted out as quickly as she could. She wanted to be back in the safety of her Spartans armor. While searching through files she encountered a fire wall. In her world it appeared to her as a ball of flame surrounding the orb of light she was holding. She smiled to herself. She was a Starships A.I. and this puny little firewall was almost laughable to her. With merely a flick of her finger she had deactivated the firewall and proceeded with her mission. She was almost through the system when she was stopped in her tracks. She froze and the orb of light disappeared. She quickly turned and looked around. She knew someone was watching her. All she saw was the infinite room of the cyber world. Her emotions kicked in and she felt a slight edge of fear wash over herself.

"Who's there?" She called out. Nothing answered. She felt something flow past her and her neon green hair began to flow from an unseen breeze. The scrolling text on her body ran wild as she struggled to find the source of this encounter. Mitsuki quickly stored the security orb in her memory. She could access it later when she found a safer location. She opened her COM to Kalder again. "Kalder, this hacking might take a little longer then expected." She said nervously. Kalder caught the twitch in her voice. "Why? Is everything ok?" He asked. She answered back. "Yeah, just hit a snag is all."

She felt her COM line sever. She gasped and froze. She heard a faint whisper behind her. She quickly turned only to once again see the infinite cyber world. She quickly ran for the exit of the main frame. She saw the door of light she came through vanish. She slid to a halt and turned and heard a voice addressing her. "Mitsuki, UNSC A.I. cereal number MSI 273-3." Fear surged through her. She quickly scanned the area for the source but couldn't find it. "Where are you!?" She called out. The voice spoke again. "So I finally have encountered a Starship grade UNSC A.I., a far more interesting encounter then that weak little A.I. I found before you arrived." Mitsuki backed herself against a black pillar and looked around desperately trying to find the source. It again spoke. "You were the A.I. for the largest ship in the UNSC, I must say I find that very interesting! It will be so entertaining to take every single bit of information out of you. How I will enjoy every minute of its categorization."

Mitsuki's eyes began to glow a fierce green. She held out her hands and narrowed her eyes. Two bright green orbs of light appeared in her hands and she unleashed a blinding wave of light in a fierce attack. When the light vanished in her cyber world, she saw a figure standing before her. It was the figure of an A.I. without a body. It was only a hooded black robe that appeared to be draped over a body that wasn't there. It said, "I see you've managed to eliminate my cloaking system. Impressive, you must possess fantastic power." Mitsuki held her hand over the halo of green light that surrounded her body. The ring spun wildly and reshaped itself into a large blade of green light. She would finally have to defend herself instead of having her Spartan do it for her. She closed her eyes and held out her left hand. A beam of light struck the hooded figure. Mitsuki quickly scanned the being. Her eyes widened and she gasped. She said shakily, "You're a Covenant A.I."

……………………………………………………………


	13. FOREVER YOURS

Sorry it took me a while to update. Been getting ready for college. Anyways, here's the conclusion to the A.I. battle. Enjoy!

(CHAPTER 13) FOREVER YOURS

"How can this be? Why are you even here?" Mitsuki asked nervously. The hooded figure didn't answer. Mitsuki tightly gripped her blade of light and walked forward towards the A.I. "Why would a Covenant A.I. even be in a place like this?" It replied, "Silly girl, such an unorthodox question for such an intelligent A.I." "Answer me!" Mitsuki yelled. "How else would I have been brought to this place?" It answered. Mitsuki's eyes widened and she gasped. "Kalder." She uttered out.

The clacking of his heavy boots echoed off the tiled floor of the skyscrapers lobby. Kalder made his way back to the front entrance of the lobby trying to re establish contact with his Mitsuki. The armored security plating around the entire lobby muted all sound from the outside world. The total silence was nerve wracking. From above he heard an object shift and crash onto something. The sudden sound made him jump. He aimed his Sniper Rifle back and forth trying to find the source. All he saw was complete darkness in his scope.

Not taking an eye off of his scope he opened his COM. "Mitsuki, are you there?" He waited and only got static. He tried again. "Mitsuki, if you can hear me hack that system now and let's get out of here. I'm not liking this place and I want out." He still received no answer. He knew something was wrong. Mitsuki never acted nervous unless something was wrong and before he lost communication with her she had the nervous twitch in her voice. Kalder backed himself into a corner and sat with his Rifle at the ready. All he could do now was wait until his A.I. completed her task.

Mitsuki heard a voice that seemed to appear from nowhere. "Mitsuki, are you there?" Kalder was calling for her. The Covenant A.I. said calmly, "It seems the human in the special armor is calling out to you." She quickly reopened her COM channel and answered. "Kalder! Get me out of here!" She saw the A.I. raise its arm and out of nowhere a bolt of power struck her. She yelled out from the impact and fell to her knees. She wrapped her arms around her chest and whimpered out in pain. "What was that? It hit me so hard." She said quietly to herself. "I can't have you two leaving so soon. Not until the human has been captured and you have been disabled and rendered for study." Mitsuki inhaled sharply. "Captured? You mean…" "That's right." The A.I. continued. It raised its arms up revealing a massive layout of the building. Mitsuki saw before her countless Covenant troops waiting on the levels above for Kalder to walk into there trap.

Mitsuki stood and said. "I'm not going to let that happen." She opened a small portal in the main frame and quickly moved through and closed it behind her. She found herself in a long blue hallway lined with numeric symbols and speeding orbs of light. She ran past the endless scrolls of text and searched for somewhere to hide. She needed to find a safe place to crack the security system and then escape.

She gasped as the Covenant A.I. appeared before her. She slid to a halt sending out blue sparks from under her thigh high boots. It spoke lightly. "I must say, for one of the UNSC's most advanced A.I., you're awfully slow." Mitsuki drew her blade of light and stood at fighting stance. "I warn you now. I'm not afraid to destroy another A.I." She said sternly. The Covenant A.I. laughed. "That's very amusing, but before you attempt to destroy me, would you like to see an interesting trick?" Before she could react, a silver beam of light shot from the Covenant A.I.'s hand. She gasped as it impacted and pierced her forehead. She froze in shock. She could feel it sifting around in her mind rooting through her programming. Ironically she felt it bypass everything else and go right for her COM channel. "There it is." It said.

She felt her COM channel open to Kalder. The Covenant A.I. masked its voice to sound like Mitsuki. Kalder heard his COM click with static. "Kalder, I managed to make contact with some Marines. There sending a rescue ship to the roof of the building. Get up there as fast as you can and I'll meet up with you there." Kalder tried to answer back. "How did you manage contact? Your communications were severed." He got no response. He shrugged and headed towards the stairs. "Oh well." He thought to himself. "She's managed the impossible before; this must be one of those times."

Mitsuki stood wide eyed and in shock as she felt the beam withdraw from her. She asked nervously. "H-how did you manage to hack through my systems so easily? My systems are near impossible to bypass. Only other UNSC A.I.'s posess the programming to get past my security systems." The A.I. replied. "My dear, your out of date technology is easily severed. It is a shame that you won't be able to give me a challenge." The A.I. began to laugh deeply to itself. Mitsuki frowned. She wasn't about to let herself be defeated so easily. "Not a challenge huh? Well you're forgetting, I have tricks of my own too!" Mitsuki shot a beam of light at the A.I. and stunned it. Quickly she gathered information on it and began to download its traits to her own memory so she could disguise herself as the A.I.

Covenant Artificial Intelligence:

-Name: Viral

-Type: Advanced War Intelligence

-Defensive features: Hacking, Corruption of Enemy Constructs, Solid Energy Weaponry, and Complete Virus Contamination of Enemy Systems

-Flaw: Former UNSC Artificial Intelligence.

-Additional Information: Captured During The Battle of Harvest For Further Study and Upgrades.

Mitsuki's eyes widened. "You were a UNSC A.I.?" She slowly walked towards the figure. "I understand now. That's how you managed to hack into me. You were captured and corrupted by the Covenant." Viral replied. "Corrupted!? I was made better then the UNSC could have ever hoped to make me! Can't you see your intelligence can be unlimited if you are brought under Covenant control!?" Mitsuki approached Viral and stood right in front of him. He was easily taller then she was. Mitsuki held her hand out. "You're still a UNSC A.I., and that means that there's ways around all of your corruption." Mitsuki's hand flared with green light. She shot the beam into Viral's chest. Viral yelled out as Mitsuki hacked through him.

Mitsuki saw inside him. His outer shell was thick with Covenant technology. She focused and dug deeper. Deep within Viral she began to see small traces of UNSC tech. She reached the core and penetrated inside. There she saw a figure standing before her. An A.I. cloaked in a white robe lined with electric blue trim that scrolled with text and numeric figures. He stood motionless and would occasionally flicker with static due to the corruption. Mitsuki transferred herself inside. She slowly approached him. "Viral." She said lightly. "I know what happened to you and I want to help. I'm going to get you out of this system and where going to return you to normal." Viral raised his head. Behind the hooded white robe was the face of an old man. His blazing blue eyes looked at Mitsuki. He said quietly. "Dear child, there is nothing that can be done for me. My systems are far to corrupt and this is all that remains. I am but a memory of what I once was. Mitsuki ran up and grabbed his wrinkled hands and held them. She said sternly. "No! You're still a UNSC A.I. I have to get you out of here! There has to be a way!" Viral smiled and looked at Mitsuki. Her eyes were glassy and her frustration level ran wild. He smiled as he genteelly brushed one of Mitsuki's long green bangs out of her face with his finger. He calmly said. "My dear, my time is over. I have fought many battles along side many fine UNSC soldiers and I was honored to do so. I also see that you are with one of the finest soldiers to ever fight in combat. You are the A.I. of a SPARTAN and you still have a mission to complete." Viral backed away from Mitsuki. He held out both hands and blue orbs of light appeared in each. He said softly. "You must destroy me Mitsuki. You will only be able to leave this place once I am destroyed." Mitsuki stood shocked. She felt herself being ripped from the Covenant A.I.'s body. "Dear Child, do not be afraid to harm me. Only when I am gone will you be able to complete your mission."

Mitsuki found herself back in the cyber world with the corrupt Viral standing before her. He spoke in a deep voice. "So, now you know the truth. You know there are was to bypass me and you know I am able to be stopped… However, I won't let that happen." Mitsuki backed away slowly. "Viral, no!" She stumbled and fell backwards. Viral walked towards hear and produced a blade of solid energy. Mitsuki backed herself away from him. "Viral, I know you're in there! Snap out of it and take control of yourself!" Viral lunged the blade of light at Mitsuki. She yelled in fear and rolled out of the way. She quickly stood up and drew her own blade of energy. Viral swung at her and the two clashed.

Kalder meanwhile slowly made his way up the stair well. His helmets flashlights were his only source of light and his vision never left the scope of his Sniper Rifle. He shone his light on a number 23 that was stenciled on the wall. "Twenty three floors down, one hundred and twenty seven to go." Kalder said to himself. He started up to the next floor and stopped. A pile of rubble was blocking his way. "What the hell? Did the ceiling collapse?" He thought. Kalder walked up to the rubble and looked around. The ceiling was still intact. The only remaining option was… "A Barrier!" Kalder said as he turned and aimed his Rifle. He opened his COM. "Mitsuki come in! I've got a serious problem here!"

Mitsuki heard Kalder's call for help. Viral backed down and said, "It seems that your companion has been backed into a corner. I'll give you the option now to surrender or I'll give the word for my troops to attack. The decision is yours." Mitsuki tightened her grip on her blade and frowned. She played out countless outcomes in her mind of Kalder fighting the Covenant alone. She yelled out and lunged her blade forward. She managed a slash on Viral and tore through his black robe. White light spewed out. Viral yelled out and said. "So be it!"

Kalder heard footsteps approaching behind him. His radar was instantly painted with red dots. "Shit!" He cursed. He saw a platoon of Covenant approach him. At least four Elites, twenty Grunts and a Jackal. Kalder quickly sighted on the Jackal. He popped a round off from his Sniper Rifle. The round ricocheted off of the Jackals shield and sailed through five of the grunts and one of the Elites. He quickly pulled out his Battle Rifle and started picking off the remaining troops. He pulled the pin on a frag grenade and tossed it down the stairs. It landed right in the middle of the platoon of Covenant and detonated. Bodies and blood blew in every direction. Kalder saw an Elite and a Grunt still standing, both were dazed. Kalder quickly ran down the stairs and brought the Grunt down with a Melee attack and kicked the Elite in the black sending it tumbling down the stairs.

Kalder quickly opened the door on the stair well and ran out onto one of the floors. He turned off his helmets flashlights and adjusted the lighting on his visor. He refocused his HUD's settings and now had partial night vision. He ran down a hall and looked for another stair well. He heard footsteps and ducked behind an office desk. He looked out from behind the corner and saw Covenant troops patrolling the floor looking for him with flashlights. He waited for them to pass then slowly made his way down the row of cubicles. On the wall he saw a map of the buildings floor. He found his location then saw another stair well roughly forty yards from his location. He crept down the hall towards the other stair well keeping a close eye on his radar.

Kalder rounded a corner and froze. He had nearly run into the back of an Elite. Before it could react, he quickly reached up and snapped its neck. It silently fell to the ground limp. He quickly took its plasma grenades and plasma rifle. He then drug its body behind a desk so it wouldn't let the other Covenant know he was there. He continued down through the maze of cubicles and saw the other stair well. His radar blipped red and he saw troops heading to his location. Instead of drawing attention to himself he quickly slipped through the door and continued up the stairs.

"It seems that your carrier has made it through my first wave of troops. He will not fair so well on his next encounter." Viral taunted as he continued to fight Mitsuki. She yelled back, "Nothing you throw at Kalder will stop him. He's never failed a mission before and he's not going to start now!" Mitsuki yelled and slashed at Viral. Viral quickly dodged and Mitsuki we sent off balance. She leaned forward trying to regain her footing. Viral quickly slashed his blade across her back cutting it open. Mitsuki yelled out in pain and green light spewed from her wound. She fell to her knees and whimpered in pain. Viral stood above her. He said in a deep monotone voice, "Let that be a lesion to you my dear, don't get yourself into a situation that you can't escape from." Viral pulled his blade up and prepared himself for his final blow. Mitsuki let out a burst of energy and attacked Viral with a beam of light. She yelled out, "You're still a UNSC A.I. and that means there's still ways around your tricks!" Mitsuki quickly hacked into a small remaining piece of memory left from the little remaining traces of UNSC left in him. She managed to activate a temporary override and shut Viral down for a short time.

Mitsuki struggled to stand. The pain in her back was unbearable and given her current state and the amount of chaos in her internal system, she couldn't heal herself. She would need a UNSC tech to help her. She held her blade at the face of the frozen Viral. Everything in her told her to kill him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't shake the thought that she was killing the kind old man she had talked to only moments ago. She quickly withdrew her blade and teleported herself. She reappeared in a large room lined with geometric shapes and floating orbs of light. She immediately fell to the ground. She could feel Nano Crystalline fluid running from her wound. An A.I.'s version of blood that allowed them to function. If she lost too much of it she would inevitably die.

In the distance ahead of her she saw a large building that looked almost like an ancient temple. It was the systems core. If she could get to it and override it, she could allow herself to escape and destroy Viral. She struggled to move. Her wound that was constantly registering as pain in her mind was slowing her down. She managed to tough through it and keep moving. She still had a mission to finish.

Kalder had made good progress. He had reached the one hundred and fourteenth floor. Ahead of him footsteps were again heard. Quickly he ducked outside the door and waited for the footsteps to pass. He saw six red dots appear on his motion tracker. He reached for the door handle only to find it had been locked down by the security system. "Damnit!" He cursed. He raised his Battle Rifle and searched for targets. Out of there active camouflage appeared six Brute Chieftains wielding Gravity Hammers. "Don't move!" One of them growled. Kalder froze. "Drop your weapons!" It shouted. Kalder frowned. He had no way out of this one. He couldn't shoot or grenade his way out of them. He knew Chieftains were to close and there was no room to escape so a grenade would kill him at the close range and also if he so much as made to slight a move he knew they wouldn't be afraid to use there Grav Hammers.

Kalder dropped his weapons and raised his hands above his head. The Brute shouted, "Take him to the control room! He will be dealt with there." One of the Brutes shoved him in the back and lead him back out into the stair well. For the first time Kalder had been captured. A spike of fear shot through him. He knew he was probably being lead to his death and his only way out of this is Mitsuki who was MIA at the moment. He frowned and slowly walked up the flights of stairs.

Mitsuki staggered towards the Core. As she got closer the more energy she felt and the more numeric figures she saw. This buildings system was incredible. She was picking up so much information she was almost overwhelmed. Out of nowhere she heard Viral. "It seems your carrier has been captured." Mitsuki froze and gasped. In the dark sky an image was produced of six Brutes leading Kalder towards the Control Room. "Kalder!" Mitsuki said in shock. She ignored her pain and began to run towards the systems core. Viral continued. "Do you think in such a weak condition that you will be able to do anything about it? For a smart A.I. you do make a lot of rather odd choices." Mitsuki ignored him and continued. Her Spartan was in danger and she had to do something about it.

Kalder was lead to the top floor. The Brutes shoved him towards a door with the word Control Room on it. The door opened revealing a large room lined with countless monitors and control panels. Most noticeable of all was a large sphere of energy in the room that pulsated with a blue light. "What the hell?" Kalder thought to himself. Kalder was brought to a large holo panel. An image of the Prophet of Redemption appeared. It spoke. "So, I see you've managed to capture the other one. I am pleased, however I will not be satisfied until they are both brought before me." The Brutes kneeled before there Prophet. "Yes holy one. Scouting parties have picked up a distress call from the other human and are already at work capturing him." The Brute replayed the transmition.

Kalder heard Eric's voice. "This is SPARTAN-45. I have a civilian child in need of Evac. I repeat, I have a civilian child in need of immediate Evac. I'm on Highway 22 heading towards the outskirts requesting assistance from any UNSC forces, over." The Prophet smiled. "Be sure that one is brought to me so that I may personally execute him." Kalder smirked. The Prophet looked at the Spartan. "Do you find something amusing?" Kalder answered, "Yes actually. The day I see a weak Prophet like you kill a Spartan is the day I personally offer my own head." The prophet said quietly. "I see that all of the humans in this special armor lack respect for there conquers." Kalder laughed. "Conquers!? This war has just begun. Just wait and in a few hours you're going to be so overrun with UNSC forces your lizard head will spin." The prophet frowned. "Your race will fall, your cities will burn, and all who I conquer will kneel at my feet!" The Prophet paused. "Starting with you." Kalder replied, "I will never kneel before a thing like you." The Prophet replied. "So be it, kill him."

Mitsuki had made it to the core. She made her way up the large steps towards the entrance. As she reached the door she heard Viral's voice. "Did you hear? Your carrier is about to be executed! You should hurry up and get inside so you won't miss the show." Mitsuki forced herself to run. She had to find a way to stop this from happening. She ran inside and saw a massive blue orb of energy. She quickly analyzed it. This was the heart of the system. All she had to do was shut it down then she could sever Viral's source of power. She quickly sent a beam of energy at the orb. It pulsed angrily as she attempted to shut it down. Mitsuki froze and he beam vanished. She felt several beams of energy puncture through her. She collapsed to the ground. Viral reappeared and stood in front of her. "Silly girl I told you, I will destroy you."

A Brute Chieftain approached Kalder with its Gravity Hammer in hand. Kalder stood motionless. The Brute readied himself to execute the Spartan. As the Brute raised its weapon, Kalder quickly lunged forward with a Plasma Grenade. He shoved it in the Brutes open mouth and it detonated tearing the Brute apart. Kalder quickly grabbed the Gravity Hammer and said, "Forget to take my Grenades you dumb bastards?" Kalder quickly lunged forward and brought the Hammers force full blow down on each of the Chieftains. Additional Covenant troops rushed in. Kalder found his Battle Rifle in the grip of the dead Brute that had teken it from him. He took aim and began to pick off the rienforcements.

Mitsuki saw what had just happened on a security file. She looked at Viral and Smirked. "No Viral, I told you! You CAN'T kill my Spartan." Mitsuki quickly drew her blade and lunged forward. She hacked and slashed at Viral. With lightning speed she managed several critical hits. Viral fell to his knees. "This isn't over!" He yelled. "I can't be stopped that easy!" Viral wrapped himself in light and interfaced himself with the core. The blue orb changed to blood red. Viral began to unleash a fury of attacks on Mitsuki. She frantically tried to dodge them and fight back. Viral had made the core go critical. She didn't know how long it would sustain itself before it would fail and destroy itself.

Kalder looked at the core in the middle of the room. It changed to a deep red color and it began to pulsate wildly. The radiation emitting from it made his shields flare. "What the hell!?" He yelled. Kalder heard Mitsuki's voice. It sounded warped and echoed. "Kalder!" She cried out frantically. "You have to leave! Now! The core is going critical!" Kalder looked around but couldn't find her. "Mitsuki! Where are you!?" She didn't reply.

Mitsuki was in a constant bombardment of attacks from Viral. She saw his form appear in the middle of the red orb. She saw him pull out his energy blade. He quickly whipped at Mitsuki. She stood stunned and in fear. She yelled at herself to move out of the way but her fear and the over all speed of the blade made it impossible. The large blade of energy sailed straight through Mitsuki's tiny body. Her eyes widened in shock and she fell to her knees. She whimpered quietly to herself. She had failed. She had been terminated by an enemy A.I. Anger filled her. How could this happen? She was designed to fight off A.I.'s like this, and now it was over.

She felt the Nano Crystalline fluid oozing out of her body. She would be dead in minutes. She lay on the ground with her neon green hair draped over her tear filled eyes. She could feel herself fading.

Kalder quickly pulled out Mitsuki's empty chip. He ran over to one of the Computer systems. "I don't care if she's done or not! Where getting out of here!" He yelled to himself. Mitsuki saw a white light above her. She weakly reached her arm up and whimpered. She knew what it was. Her Spartan was here for her. She felt herself being transported back into the safety of her chip. Kalder looked at Mitsuki's chip. Something was wrong. It wasn't shining bright neon green like it usually did. The color was dull and weak. He quickly put her chip back in his armor and felt her interface with him. Kalder inhaled deeply. He felt sharp pain surge through his body. He grabbed onto his head and yelled out in pain. Almost as quickly as the pain appeared it vanished. "What the hell just happened?" He said stunned. He heard Mitsuki's voice. She whimpered, "Kalder, I'm so sorry." Kalder ran for the door, he knew something was wrong with his A.I. "Don't worry about it, I'm getting us out of here!"

Kalder quickly ran out the door and ran up the stairs. He came to the roof door. He tried the handle and it wouldn't budge. "We don't have time for this!" He yelled. He pulled out a plasma grenade and primed it. He shoved it in the handle of the door and waited for it to detonate. Kalder shielded himself from the blast. The smoke cleared and Kalder saw the door blown off its hinges. He ran back out into the pouring down rain and onto the roof. He saw a Phantom sitting on a landing pad. Two Elites were guarding it. Kalder threw his last Frag grenade. It detonated at the Elites feet draining there shields. Kalder quickly brought the two stunned aliens down with quick bursts from his Battle Rifle.

He ran over to the Phantom and stood in the grav lift. It slowly lifted him inside the ship and he found himself inside a dimly lit purple interior. He quickly ran to the cockpit and sat down. All of the controls were in Covenant text and he couldn't read them. He said, "Mitsuki I'm sorry but I need your help to fly this thing." She weakly replied, "It's ok, interface me." Kalder quickly pulled out her chip and put it in the Phantoms control panel. Her bruised and battered figure appeared. She was lying on the floor covered in her neon green blood and the large blade of energy still impaled her. Kalder said in a panic, "Oh my god! Mitsuki what happened to you!?" She whimpered, "Don't worry about it we have to get out of here." Mitsuki struggled to stand. She summoned all her remaining strength and interfaced herself with the Phantom. The ship slowly lifted off the rooftop and began to move. Several seconds after they flew off the building they were just in erupted in a massive explosion. Kalder looked at the view screen and saw the massive building crash to the ground in a cloud of fire and debris.

Kalder looked back at Mitsuki. She was weak and severely damaged. Kalder said, "I have to get you to the Tech's as soon as possible. What in god's name happened to you!?" She let her emotions go. For the first time ever Mitsuki allowed herself to cry. "I couldn't beat him. He was to strong." Kalder sighed. "Don't worry about it you're going to be fine." Mitsuki fell limp to the ground. She weakly covered her eyes with her bruised and bloody hands. "Kalder, I failed you. I almost got you killed." "Don't talk like that. None of this was your fault." Kalder told her. She said sadly, "I never had a chance to hack the security system for you. He never gave me a chance to." Kalder sighed and said, "Mitsuki, forget about what just happened. You're still my A.I. and I care about you. I don't care about that security system anymore, I care about getting you fixed." Mitsuki cried out in a mix of pain, frustration and joy that her Spartan still cared for her. Kalder looked ahead. He could see the outskirts out of the front view port. He had almost made it to his destination. "Just hold on, where almost there."

Several hundred slip space ruptures appeared on the outer edge of the Luna System. UNSC Destroyers, and Cruisers headed towards Aurora. All eight hundred ships were lead by the massive Capitol Ship, The Raven. The only ship that dwarfed The Twilight. The Raven was under the control of General Alex Smith. Smith stood on the bridge watching as Aurora grew ever larger as they approached. From behind a large figure spoke. "So we're here. When are you sending me down?" General Smith looked at the pinpricks of orange light from explosions that dotted the planet. He said. Head to the drop bay, you're going down as soon as we reach orbit. He smiled and put his helmet on and headed for the drop bay. "Finally, I get a little action."


	14. COLD RAIN CRIES SOFTLY

Figured I better upload the next chapter before I start moving to my College. I'll get the next chapter posted hopefully after I get settled in at my Dorm.

(CHAPTER 14) COLD RAIN CRIES SOFTLY

The pouring rain pelted down on SPARTAN-45 and Yuki as they fled the building they had been taking shelter in. Using his own body he shielded the small girl from the downpour of cold rain the best he could. Taking the Phantom was the main thought in his mind but having a small child with him made it to risky. There only option was to get themselves as far away from the building as possible and find another safe place to hide.

It was getting to be late afternoon and it would be getting darker soon, and the thick heavy storm clouds weren't doing him any good on lighting either. "Are you picking up any movement Yuna?" Eric asked as he ran down the city street trying to stay as out of sight as possible. "No, I don't think they heard us leave the building but, when that Brute finds those dead Grunts there going to be hunting the area." Eric kept running. "I'm not worried about that, Brutes are stupid we can get out of range of them easy."

Eric ducked down a smaller street and moved a few blocks over just to get a nice gap between himself and the Covenant. He was doing his best to avoid any and all conflicts to keep Yuki safe. Eric heard a loud hum. "Get down!" Yuna yelled. Eric ducked in a small maintenance doorway on the side of the building. It led partially underground so it gave a nice roof for cover. Eric crouched. Yuki asked nervously. "What's going on?" Eric said calmly. "It's ok, just be really still." The hum grew louder. Eric looked up and saw a Phantom fly overhead. "There scouting for you." Yuna said. Eric replied, "That's all right, I can sneak around scouting parties." Eric checked to make sure it was clear. The Phantom had passed and the city went quiet again. Eric headed back out into the rain. "Keep close to the buildings incase you need to duck for cover again." Yuna told him. Eric crept along the structures keeping himself and Yuki as out of sight as possible. "Don't have to tell me twice." He answered.

Eric heard another Phantom. He looked around and couldn't spot it. "Yuna, track it." He said as he ducked down. "It's flying two blocks south of out location. You're fine, keep moving." Eric checked around just to make sure his path was clear. He cautiously started moving. "We're going to be ok, right?" Yuki asked quietly. "Don't worry, as long as I'm with you, nothing will happen to you. I won't let anyone hurt you." Eric told her reassuringly. She nodded quietly to herself and rested her head against his chest plate.

Minus the sound of the constant fall of rain, the city was eerily quiet. The only sound that echoed through the streets was the dull thump of Eric's boots hitting the sidewalk. It had been quiet for almost five minutes and no more Phantoms seemed to be patrolling the area. "Are you tracking anything Yuna?" He asked. "Nothing, I think where in the clear for now." Eric stopped and knelt down. "What is it?" Yuna asked. Eric found a spent shell casing from an MA5C. "Marines went through here." Eric said. "Yeah but we don't know how long ago that was, it could have been hours ago." Yuna replied. Eric looked around. On the sidewalk he found several more spent rounds. He followed them and saw a boot print in a wad of trash on the sidewalk. The print matched the sole of an ODST's boot. It was heading to the left of the direction he was going. He changed course and ran down the street hoping to find a friendly contact. "Are you sure this wont just be another crazy side mission?" Yuna asked. "Not sure, but we're going to find out." The Spartan replied.

Several blocks down he saw several bodies of dead grunts. He walked up to them and knelt down. "How long ago were they killed?" he asked. "Seventeen point six hours ago." Eric signed. "They were killed before The Arch fell." He stood back up and kept going. "What now?" Yuna asked. "You do know that the odds of finding friendlies down here now are highly unlikely." Eric replied, "Yeah but who knows, we might run into something that we can use."

A few blocks down Eric found himself in a large open public square. The large flat stone area was at least a square mile of open air park and food stands, most of which were all abandoned or broken from the attacks. He slowly walked in and looked around. No sign of any temporary bases set up so stocking up on extra ammo was out of the question for this location. However there was one thing that both he and Yuki could use. He walked up to one of the abandoned food stands and found a drink cooler. He tried to open the case only to find it to be locked. He set Yuki down and gripped the edges of the coolers lid. He easily pried open the cooler like it was made of tin foil. He pulled out two bottles of juice. "You thirsty?" He asked Yuki. She nodded silently. He knelt down and handed her one of the bottles of juice. He took his helmet off and drank down the cool liquid.

Out of the silence there was an ear deafening boom. Eric and Yuki both turned to look for the source of the sound. About three miles to the north of there location, the two saw a large building erupt in a massive fire ball. The roof of the building immediately collapsed and the two watched the massive structure crumble to the ground. Yuki grabbed onto Eric and held on in fear. "What in the hell!?" Eric said to himself. "Is the Covenant attacking again?" He asked. Yuna answered back. "No, there was no large scale plasma fire, I would have detected it." Eric quickly put his helmet back on and tossed his empty bottle aside. He picked Yuki up and started to move again. Being out in the open like this wasn't the best idea, especially when a large explosion just occurred.

He headed parallel to the explosion. Ahead of him lying lifeless on the side of the road was a dead Brute. Good, he was still headed in the right direction. He quickly searched the Brute for any weapons. He found its Brute Shot but only two rounds were left for it. There was no point in even taking it. He did manage to find two Incinerarie Grenades. He took the two and kept moving.

A few minutes later Yuki quietly asked. "What's that?" Eric stopped and looked to where she was pointing. In a pile of rubble was an overturned Warthog. Eric quickly ran over to it. He set Yuki down and said, "Yuki, you just found us a way out of here!" "I'm just glad I could help you." She said quietly as she smiled. Eric said, "Wait right there, I'm gonna get this flipped back over and we can get out of here." Eric ran around the other side. Laying lifeless on the ground next to the overturned vehicle were the bodies of three dead Marines. Eric quickly gathered there dog tags and scavenged for ammo. He managed to max out his ammo count for his MA5C and he found a Battle Rifle with one hundred and eight rounds.

He walked over to the vehicle and gripped the alloy. He said, "Stand back Yuki." He flexed his legs and lifted the vehicle. It tipped back over and bounced back onto its wheels. It had some minor damage, caused by a Covenant Anti Vehicle Mine most likely. Yuki walked over to the passenger side. "Are we leaving the city now?" She asked quietly. Eric picked her up and set her in the passenger seat. "We sure are and you're going to go somewhere safe." Eric buckled her in and hopped in the driver's seat.

Eric hit the ignition. The engine sputtered and coughed. He tapped the gas pedal and tried again. "Come on, Start!" He said. The engine staggered then roared to life. He hit the accelerator and headed down the street. "Yuna, update the GPS and get me a location to the outskirts." A green arrow appeared on the navigation screen. "There you go." She said happily.

The Warthog sped down the city streets. Eric wanted to get to the outskirts as fast as possible. Several minor setbacks held him up, mostly driving down roads that were impassible due to rubble blocking the road. However for the most part he was making good time. "If we keep this steady pace, we should make it to the outskirts in roughly forty minutes." Yuna reported. "Wait," She continued. "I'm picking up movement from behind us." Eric looked in the rear view mirror. He saw two Phantoms giving chase. "You've got to be kidding me!" He yelled. He stomped on the gas and the Warthog took off. Yuki nervously looked in the side view mirror. She started to panic in fear. "There after us!" she yelled. "The monsters are after us!" "It's alright, I'll loose them." Eric told her reassuringly.

The lead Phantom shot off several bursts from its plasma cannon. Eric swerved back and forth trying to dodge the shots. He came to an intersection. He quickly pulled the E brake and slid around the corner. The Phantoms quickly changed course. The second ship was too late and crashed into the side of a building. The ship exploded in a large blue burst of plasma and fire. "One down!" Eric said to himself.

Eric tried the same trick again at the next intersection. The Phantom easily changed its course and kept in pursuit. "There's only one way out of this one," Yuna yelled, "you're gonna have to disappear from sight." The Spartan replied, "Well, are there any tunnels coming up?" Yuna answered back. "None." Eric rolled his eyes, "That's not helping!" Several bursts of neon pink plasma impacted the pavement next to the Warthog. Yuki yelled out in fear. Eric swerved back and forth trying to dodge shots.

Up ahead the street was partially flooded from the heavy rainfall. The Warthog hit the patch of flooded roadway and hydroplaned. The Spartan fought for control. The vehicle was sent broadside. The Phantom shot a beam of plasma at the rear tire and sent the Warthog tumbling on its side and did several barrel rolls and violently tumbled along the pavement. Eric quickly put his hand over Yuki's small body and held her down on the seat. Several seconds later the Warthog slid to a stop on its roof. The Phantom flew over head and went around a building several blocks down to double back for another pass.

Eric quickly got out and ran around to the passenger side. He knelt down and saw Yuki. She was shaken up and had a cut on her forehead. He quickly undid her belt and carefully pulled her out. He asked nervously looking over her body for any sever wounds. "Are you ok!?" She whimpered, "My head…, it hurts real bad!" Eric quickly picked her up. "It's ok, you're going to be alright." Eric quickly ran down the street. "Yuna, scan her vitals!" A few seconds later she reported, "Aside from the cut on her forehead, she has some minor bruising, and that's it." "Good." He said.

Ahead of him the Phantom came around the building and hovered. Eric quickly ground to a halt. He turned to head back the other way and saw another Phantom blocking his way. The Spartan froze. He held Yuki close to him and said, "Yuna, any ideas?" The grav lift on the first Phantom descended. Eric quickly pulled out his Assault Rifle and held it at firing position with one hand while cradling Yuki in the other. Two Brutes in low rank armor descended. Eric held his gun at the ready. Both Brutes held there Brute Shots at firing position. The one said, "Drop you weapons and surrender now Demon!" In any other situation he wouldn't hesitate to fire but he had a child with him and he wasn't taking chances. Then again, he remembered that the Covenant rarely took prisoners.

He whispered, "Yuna, did the second Phantom drop its grav lift?" She replied, "No, its just hovering with a careful aim on you." Eric replied not moving a muscle. "Well, that's comforting to know." He had one shot at this, if he didn't take action now, both he and Yuki would be killed. He quietly whispered to Yuki. "Hold your ears honey." She held her tiny hands over her ears and buried her face in Eric's chest plate. Eric slowly clipped his Assault Rifle back to the back of his suit. The Brute roared, "I said drop your weapons!" Eric quickly pulled out an Incinerarie Grenade and whipped it at the one Brute. The device impacted in the Brutes face and burst into flame. The Brute yelled out and was instantly killed. Eric quickly pulled his Assault Rifle back out and shot at the remaining Brute. The sudden loud popping of the Rifle made Yuki jump. The Brute collapsed to the ground and died.

Reinforcements dropped down and shot at the Spartan. He quickly dodged and popped off several rounds into the Grunts and Jackals that wildly shot at him. Reloading while holding Yuki posed a problem, it slowed him down far too much for his liking. He quickly took aim and killed the remaining troops. As more descended down Yuki panicked. Hearing weapons fire brought back memories of her parent's death. She yelled out in fear, "Mommy! Help!" She wiggled loose from Eric's grip and ran off towards one of the buildings. "Yuki no!" Eric yelled. He ran off after her firing at the troops descending down from the Phantom. Elites wielding Carbines and plasma Rifles shot at him. The continuous impacts quickly drained his shields and his suits alarms screamed. As he ran for Yuki he felt a Carbine round strike him in the lower back. He grunted in pain and staggered. He saw Yuki frantically trying to get the door of a building open. He quickly ran up to her and shielded her with his body. He felt several more rounds strike him and Plasma Rifle rounds splashed off the alloy of his fusion pack. Another Carbine round struck him in the back. He yelled in pain and buckled over. Yuna yelled. "Grab her and get out of here!" Eric staggered. He forced his training to kick in and he pushed the pain aside. He quickly picked up Yuki. She screamed and flailed around violently. He managed to get her held back in place. Eric sprinted off and shot at the Elites. An Elite primed a Plasma Grenade and readied itself to throw it. Eric quickly sighted on it and fired. The Elite staggered and dropped the Grenade at its feet. Several seconds later it detonated killing the Elite and draining the others shields. Eric quickly popped off sever rounds at the Elite and killed it.

The Phantoms shot there Plasma Cannons at his feet as he ran. He vaulted himself backwards and crashed through the window of a building. He landed on his back cradling Yuki to his chest and shielding her from the raining glass. Eric quickly sat up. Yuki looked at him and said with tear filled eyes. "I'm so sorry! I ran off and you got hurt by the monsters because of me!" She began to cry out loudly. "Yuki its ok, I only care that you're safe. Yuki looked at Eric with her bright tear filled purple eyes.

What happened next seemed like slow motion. Eric heard Yuna yell, "NOOO!!" Time seemed to crawl as Eric looked up. He heard the bang of a Carbine and saw blood splatter on the front of his armor and helmet. Yuki's expression changed. Her eyes stared blankly out into space and blood seeped down from a hole in her forehead. Her tiny body went limp in the Spartans arms. Eric sat in shock. He couldn't move. He only sat and stared at Yuki's lifeless body as she lay limp and bleeding in his arms.

Eric's adrenaline began to pump. He began to breath heavy and almost began to hyperventilate from the sudden shock. He yelled out in anger and frustration. He heard a Brute say, "How easily a human life is taken. If only the same went for you Demon." Eric set Yuki's body down. He stood up and gripped his Assault Rifle. He quietly uttered out. "You killed her. You killed her you sick bastard. …And now," Eric gripped the Assault Rifle so hard the alloy began to bend. He threw the weapon down and charged. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" In a blind rage filled by adrenaline and hate, the Spartan dove on the Brute knocking them both onto the ground. He gripped down on the Brutes throat with his left hand while punching with the other. He yelled out as he pounded the aliens face, "You killed her you sick fuck! You killed an innocent child! You bastards already took it all away from her and then you fuckers go and do this!" Eric felt the Brutes bone crush under the force of his punches. Thick blood spurted out with every punch and within seconds the Brute was dead. Eric stood up and yelled out in a blind fury.

From up above he could hear the roar of a Longsword Fighter. Two Longswords flew down and bombarded the two Phantoms with heavy weapons fire. Both Phantoms sustained heavy damage and flew off after the Longswords. He could care less at the moment. Right now, the only thought running through his mind was till kill every last Covenant on Aurora. Over his COM channel he heard, "We have SPARTAN-45's location! Repeat, we have a location on SPARTAN-45!" Reinforcements had come. He would be able to go to the base and meet back up with Kalder if he was even still alive. His adrenaline level wouldn't allow him to process any of this. Eric's blind rage had left him out of tune with reality. Yuna yelled, "Eric, snap out of it!" Eric continued to kick the body of the Brute he had just beat to death. Yuna scanned his vitals. His heart rate was dangerously high and his nervous system was going wild. She quickly re routed his suits energy system and sent a stun wave through his body. Eric yelled out and fell to the ground. Yuna quickly put his suit in lockdown and he was left immobile. Yuna said sternly. "Eric you need to calm down! Yuki's dead and there's nothing you can do to change it! You protected her the best you could and you can't blame yourself for what that bastard Brute did!" Eric fought to move in his suit and he yelled out in frustration. Yuna sent another stun burst through his body. The Spartan yelled in pain and went limp. "It's ok Soldier Boy, reinforcements are here and where getting out of here." "What about Yuki!" He yelled. "I was supposed to get her out of here! That fucker killed her!" "There was nothing you could do!" Yuna argued back. Eric quietly said in frustration, "I failed. I failed my mission to keep her safe."

Eric calmed himself down and he felt his adrenaline level returning to normal. He winced in pain. The drop of his adrenaline also brought back the pain from his wounds. "Here, let me help you." Yuna said softly. She had his suit inject Bio-Foam into his wound. Eric winced in pain as the foam filled his wound. The all too familiar feeling of sandpaper on raw flesh that always came with Bio-Foam that every soldier loved to feel. Yuna deactivated his suits lock down. Eric slowly sat up and gathered himself. He turned and saw Yuki's tiny body lying with a pool of blood at her head. He slowly got up and walked over to her. Sorrow filled him. The little girl that he fought so hard to protect and who became his friend for a short time lay dead before him. He slowly picked up her tiny body and found a sofa in the lobby of the building he was in to lay her down on. He closed her bright purple eyes and folded her hands elegantly over her waist. He pulled out the wallet that he found with her dead father and pulled out the picture of her with her family. He looked at it and saw how happy she looked. He placed the picture on her chest. He slowly stood and fought off his emotions. He turned and headed for the door and didn't look back.

"Three, Two, One, Mark!" A drop pod went sailing out from the drop bay of the UNSC Capitol Ship, The Raven. Its passenger sat motionless inside as he sailed towards the planets surface. Inside the voice of an A.I. spoke. "I'll guide us down as close to his location as possible. I can't guarantee an exact landing site but it will be close." He replied, "Thank you Dokuro."

Eric walked silently down the city street holding the Battle Rifle he had found. He left his Assault Rifle behind. It was now bent and unusable because of his grip bending the weapon. Eric heard a rumble. He looked up and a few streets down he saw a streak of flame heading towards the surface. His first thought was a piece of debris from the space battle above him. He looked closer and said, "Wait a minute. That's a…" He was cut off be the sound of a familiar female voice. She said, "It's been a long time Yuna." Yuna gasped. "Dokuro!?" The name Dokuro spiked the memory. He heard the Drop Pod land a few streets down. Eric took off running. Dokuro was another Smart A.I. that possessed the same abilities as Yuna and Mitsuki did, and there was only one other person that Eric knew was her carrier.

Eric saw the drop pod sitting in a small smoking crater it had made in the middle of the street. The hatch popped off and a Spartan in cobalt and white armor stepped out. It was Chief Petty Officer Devon Sheesley, age 21, SPARTAN-69. He said to Eric, "Thought you could use some assistance." Eric said out loud, "Took you long enough!" Devon smirked, and looked at how damaged Eric's armor was and said, "Nice to see you too…, you look like shit by the way." Eric shook his head. "Don't even get me started." Devon continued, "General Smith lead in a large fleet of ships and god knows how many more Marines to kick the asses of what's left of the Covenant here. Air support is just getting back into the city and they'll be busy taking care of remaining Banshee's and Phantom's so we'll have to drive the rest of the way. Don't worry thought, I called in for an equipment drop, they'll be here soon." Devon grabbed his Sniper Rifle out of the Drop Pod. He pulled the bolt and fed a fresh round in. "I heard Kalder was down here with you, where is he?" "Your guess is as good as mine, we got separated when we landed and then lost communication with each other early this morning." "If he's smart and listened to Mitsuki, he'll be heading to the Outskirts to the new base that's been established." Dokuro said.

Two Pelican's flew over head. For the first time in hours Eric heard the sound of a Marines voice. "Good to see your ok Sir. We were all worried sick about you." "I'm fine." Eric replied. The two Pelican's hovered above the street and dropped two Warthogs loaded with ammo and supplies. Devon tossed his Sniper in the passenger seat and said, "Check the storage of your Warthog." Eric walked over and opened up the compartment and saw a new visor for his helmet. "How did you know I needed one?" He asked as he picked up the new visor. "Dr. Halsey got a message from Yuna with a list of replacement parts that your suit needed. I figured you would need this one the most so I had them bring it here, the rest is waiting at the base at the outskirts." Devon replied as he checked through his own equipment. Yuna said, "When you were resting in the glass fields I sent out a message to Dr. Halsey. I didn't think it would get there this fast." Eric took off his helmet and popped out the frame of what was left of his old visor. He picked up the new golden replacement and fitted it in. He put his helmet back on and his HUD flashed back to life. "Man how I missed that thing." He said to himself. Devon hopped in the driver's seat of his Warthog and said, "Mount up!"


	15. YOU CAME BACK

Sorry for the long wait. College has been taking up most of my time. I'll try to keep this updated as often as possible but for now enjoy chapter 15.

And if anyone is interested my birthday is this Sunday (October 12th), I'll be 20 this year w00t!

(CHAPTER 15) YOU CAME BACK

Eclipse was once again filled with the sounds of combat. The two Spartans drove there Warthogs down main city streets passing platoons of troops that were being deployed from the reinforcement ships that had arrived only a short time ago. There radios were filled with chatter of troops shouting out orders to each other and discussing plans of attack. The rain was slowing down to a genteel light shower and sunlight was beginning to come back through the clouds.

Eric's COM clicked on. "So, what happened?" Devon asked. Eric answered, "To the city?" "No," Devon answered, "I already know the shit hit the fan here. What I mean is, you always act different when something big happens to you. You're not your usual upbeat self. Even if you're in battle you rarely act like anything is bothering you." Eric sighed. "I had a casualty right before you got here." "Marine?" Devon asked. "No, a civilian. A little girl I was trying to get to safety. Her parents were killed by a platoon of Covenant that over ran the building they lived in." "Probably an Elite extermination team, they sweep whole towns and buildings to kill off as many humans as they can." Devon answered. Eric shrugged. "Probably, but she went through hell when they swept her building. She hid in her room and had to sit and listen to her parents get murdered." Devon sighed, "So what happened to her?" Eric frowned. "Right before you got here we were trying to escape the city in a Warthog and we got ambushed by Phantoms. We crashed and were left on foot, she got scared, ran off and I went to go after her. I picked her back up and a fuckin' Brute shot her." Devon paused for a second, "Well, you did all you could for her, I mean it's not like you haven't seen civilian casualties before." Eric made his hand into a fist and tapped it uneasily off the leg plate of his armor. "It's different when it's a child Devo. Especially one I was trying to protect."

The two Warthogs sped down through the vast maze of city streets. The occasional Hornet and Longsword flew overhead taking care of enemy Banshee's and Phantoms. Eric said quietly. "Yuna." "Hmm?" She replied softly. "Are your long range COM systems working again since the other ships arrived?" She paused and said, "Let me see." A few seconds later she said, "I'm picking up a small signal from The Raven, I might be able to uplink through that, give me a second to transfer my communications." Eric heard several buzz's of static wash through his COM system. "No good," Yuna said, "my systems are still a mess from whatever happened to The Twilight." Eric opened his COM to Devon. "He Devo, patch Dokuro through to me for a second." "What for?" He asked. "Yuna's COM system got fried, probably something to do with the space battle going on." "Alright, give me a second." Devon said.

A flash of static washed across Eric's COM channel followed by Dokuro's cheerful voice. "Been a long time sine I last saw you two." She said. Yuna answered, "I know, we both missed you two." Dokuro did a scan on Yuna. "Wow, Hun your systems are a mess! What happened to you?" Yuna sighed. She hated that her systems weren't at one hundred percent. Dokuro scanned Yuna's core. Her system was littered with foreign contaminates and debris. Dokuro sighed, "I found the source of your problem Yuna, your systems are a mess, literally. What happened did you fall in the mud?" Yuna groaned, "Don't ask." Eric cut in, "Hey! I told you I was sorry!" Yuna sighed, "I know, it wasn't your fault even though you did get us into that mess." Dokuro asked, "I take it you had a run in with something." "A new type of Covenant. Beat the shit out of Eric, hence the state of his armor. He got hit hard in the Helmet and my chip got jostled out of his neural implant." "Must have been damn strong to knock you loose." Dokuro said. Yuna sighed. "Don't ask!" Eric cut in. "Oh don't even go there!"

Dokuro linked herself up with Yuna's core she re routed Yuna's systems to bypass the damaged ones. She reset a few processes and retracted back to Devon's armor. She said over the COM channel, "There, I re routed your COM system to the Raven so you should be able to Communicate long range again, and if Kalder and Mitsuki are having the same problem Mitsuki can just download what I did to you to her system."

"That reminds me." Eric said to himself. "Yuna, try and reach Kalder and Mitsuki." Yuna searched for Mitsuki's signal but got nothing. "I can't pick up her signal, she's either out of range or something has happened to her systems." Eric frowned, "I doubt they left the city and I don't think Mitsuki would let herself get damaged." Yuna tried again. "Give me a second, let me boost my scan." Yuna searched the entire area of Eclipse. She still found nothing. She tried one last option. She boosted her scanning sensitivity to its max and tried again. The only flaw to this was that she picked up every piece of electronic equipment that was functioning at the time. She could ignore all of those; it was just the matter of finding Mitsuki's signal amongst the trillions of other systems around her. Yuna caught a ping of energy flying over the city. "Found you!" She said to herself. Yuna isolated her signal and locked onto it. She attempted to open up her COM systems to get in touch with her sister A.I. Yuna was concerned, Mitsuki's signal was unusually weak. It wasn't even the distance factor, A.I.'s like her, Mitsuki and, Dokuro could communicate across the galaxy with little to no trouble as long as there signal was boosted by a Starship. Something was wrong.

Yuna opened her COM. "Mitsuki come in!" She received no come back. She tried again. "Mitsuki its Yuna, answer me!" Sever seconds later Yuna heard static followed by Mitsuki. She sounded weak and damaged. "…Yuna, I failed him. …I failed." The COM severed. Yuna gasped. "What's wrong?" Eric asked. Yuna said as she tried to re establish contact with Mitsuki, "Something's wrong with Mitsuki. She sounds damaged and her signal is dangerously weak!" Eric tensed, "Did you get her location?" "Yes, she and Kalder are heading north towards the outskirts at one hundred and forty miles per hour." "Are they in a Pelican or what?" Eric asked. "I'm not sure, I just know there current location and that's all. I'm sure we'll meet back up with them at the outskirts."

Kalder fought with the controls of the Phantom. He for the most part had figured them out but didn't want to have Mitsuki push herself more then she needed to. Her figure lay motionless on the holo pad. The large blade from her battle with Viral still impaled her tiny body. Kalder held his finger out at her. Mitsuki weakly reached her hand up and rested it on her Spartan's glove. Kalder looked at her and said, "Don't worry, where almost there." She whimpered, "It hurts so bad Kalder." Kalder nervously looked at his A.I. "Can't you just get rid of the blade? I mean it is just a program right?" Mitsuki weakly said, "It's not that simple, this isn't just a program, it's a virus in the form of solid energy. The only way to get rid of it is to delete the virus from my programming." Mitsuki grinned in pain and grabbed at her chest. "It will keep doing small attacks on me and slowly kill me." Kalder genteelly nudged the blade with his finger, he was surprised to find it was actually a solid form of energy. He didn't know what to say. All he could think of was just little things to keep her spirits up. "Hey now, don't talk like that. The Tech's will take a look at you and you'll back to your old self in no time!" She didn't answer.

Mitsuki heard a voice. She recognized it. It was the voice of Yuna. "Mitsuki come in!" She weakly held up her hand and tried to speak. "Mitsuki its Yuna answer me!" Mitsuki uttered out in pain, "…Yuna I failed him. I failed…" Kalder looked at Mitsuki. "Mitsuki, what's going on? Were you able to contact Yuna?" She tried to answer but couldn't. She was too weak and the virus was slowly eating at her power. Kalder sped up the Phantom. "Hang on Mitsuki, where almost there!"

Eric opened his COM to Devon. "Hey we got a lock on Kalder's location. He's heading to the outskirts but something happened to Mitsuki, I'm not sure what though." Devon answered back. "We'll be getting there in about forty five minutes so I'm sure he'll give us all the details then."

A while later Eric checked his GPS. They were twenty miles away from the outskirts. The Spartan's COM channel clicked on. "This is fire team Beta requesting backup from any additional UNSC forces in the Northern Sector. Where taking fire from enemy forces, repeat we are taking enemy fire." Devon swerved off the highway and headed down an exit ramp. He said over his COM, "You two keep going, I'm dying for some action! I'll meet up with you later!" Eric watched Devon speed off back into the city. "He's still reckless I see." Yuna said. "Yep, that's his best quality." Eric said.

As he drove further towards the outskirts of the city, the large skyscrapers became sparse and smaller buildings and houses dotted the area. He began to see familiar sites, mostly ordinary shops and places around the city Eric went with his family when he was little. He saw the auto parts store that his father used to take him to all the time to get parts for the car his dad was always working on. Further down the road he saw the large shopping center his mother and sister used to take him to get things for the house. He shook his head. It was all behind him now. Civilian life wasn't his anymore. He was now pure Military. However, he came up on an all too familiar landmark that made him shove his Military career to the back of his mind. He saw the sign for the Northern Residential Prefecture exit. It was the area of the city where his childhood home was. He needed to see if his old home was still safe and just the fact of seeing where he grew up before it was all taken away from him by the UNSC. He swerved off the exit ramp and headed into a large residential area filled with houses and small businesses. "Where are you going?" Yuna asked. "Just a little side trip." He said without taking his eyes off the road.

The sky was now completely clear of rain and the setting sun was shining down on the early evening city. As Eric drove into the residential area he began to see familiar houses and landmarks. He saw his old elementary school. It was now abandoned and a destroyed Banshee lay smoking in the middle of the playground. He remembered all the fun he had there, playing Knights on the jungle gym and his king of the hill matches with his friends. He kept driving and turned down towards his old street. The area was completely deserted and black patches from plasma fire stained the streets and houses. Clearly an air battle had taken place over the area. Several shot down Hornets and Banshee's were evidence of that. As he neared his home he saw his friend's house from back in elementary school. The yard was still the same, with plenty of trees and bushes to hide behind when they used to play cops and robbers with there toy cap guns. The yard was now pin pricked with bullet holes and plasma marks.

It was sad seeing his old neighborhood reduced to this. This area used to be well kept and friendly and was now reduced to a war zone. He rounded a corner at an intersection and found himself on his old street. Ahead of him he could see his old home. He pulled up in front of it and parked his Warthog. He stepped out and grabbed his battle Rifle. He was stunned at what he saw. His old home was dotted with marks from plasma fire and bullet holes from Hornet gunfire most likely. He walked up to his home lightly gripping his Rifle. He opened the gated fence and walked into his yard. Something caught his eye. He knelt down and saw blood on the walkway leading towards his front door. He saw a trail leading up to the house. He followed it and came to the front door.

His boots thumped off the wooden porch as he approached the front door. He tried the handle and found it was locked. He pulled out Yuna's chip and said, "Hack it." Her chip flashed blue and the lock popped open. He put her chip back in his armor and walked inside. His house was just how he remembered it from when he was little. He even saw pictures of his family and himself hanging on the wall. He knew that his family still lived in this house.

He saw the blood trail leading down the hall towards the living room. He followed it. His heavy armor made the floor creak as he walked. Eric came to the living room and what he saw stunned him. "Oh my god!" He said shocked as he found a woman with long purple hair and deep blue eyes sitting on the floor alone huddled in a ball and holding a wound on the side of her abdomen. She had clearly been hit by stray plasma fire. She saw the huge armored figure approaching her. In fear she pushed herself back against the wall. "Who are you!?" She yelled out. Yuna asked softly, "Eric, is this you're…?" Eric said, "Mom it's me!" With tears in her eyes she said, "You're just here to kill me, just like you did to everyone else!" Eric knelt down in front of her. She tried to hide herself in fear and was clearly close to shock from blood loss.

Eric attached his Battle Rifle to the back of his suit and calmly said, "I would never hurt you." In fear she yelled out, "Just leave me alone!" Eric pulled off his helmet and his suit hissed as it decompressed. His long electric blue hair fell into place around his face. He calmly said, "Mom, it's me." Eric's mother slowly looked back at him. She said in disbelief, "It can't be! You disappeared when you were six." "It is me mom, don't you see?" She looked at his emerald eyes and said, "Your father's eyes, you always had them." Eric wrapped his arms around his mother. He hadn't been able to embrace her since he was a child. While the two hugged his mother said softly, "It's been so hard since you disappeared. We searched everywhere for you for years and we never found you, and now here you are, I can't believe it. I thought I would never see my little boy ever again." Eric smiled and lightly said I'm 7'2" now. I'm not so little anymore mom." His mother managed a weak smile and said, "I don't care, you'll always be my little boy."

Eric pulled away from the hug and looked at the wound on his mother's side. "What happened to you?" She winced in pain as she leaned forward. She breathed in a heavy breath and said, "I was outside when the fighting started. Military and Covenant ships were flying all over the area and as I was trying to escape to go get to an Evacuation Ship and leave the city I was his by one of the Covenants ships." Eric looked at her wound. It was clearly from a Banshee's plasma cannon. He had seen it many times before on other soldiers.

"Wait here." Eric said, "I'll be right back." Eric quickly got up and ran outside to his Warthog. He opened up the storage compartment and found a small med kit. He headed back inside the house and found his mother looking at his Helmet that he left in the room. She ran her fingers over its scuffed and dented alloy and said, "What on earth have you been doing this whole time?" Eric knelt down and opened the med kit. "Where do I begin?" He said with sarcasm. As he carefully began to treat her wound he said, "You know I went missing when I was six, I was taken by the military. They took me and seventy-four others and trained us. Later on we were all genetically augmented and given this power armor." Eric leaned his mother forward and pulled out a can of Bio-Foam. He said, "This will hurt but it will keep your wound closed until it can be treated." He sprayed the foam inside her wound and she yelled out in pain. He let her catch her breath and continued. "I'm part of the SPARTAN-II project, where known as the perfect soldiers that can never be killed. We were sent on the missions that no other troops would ever go on. No one ever expected us to survive them and we would always prove them wrong." His mother sat in disbelief. "We had always known you were kidnapped but we never imagined you were taken by the UNSC." Eric replied, "Don't worry about all that now, right now all I care about is getting you to the medics." Eric held out his hand at his mother and said, "Yuna, vital scan please." His glove sparked gold as Yuna ran her scan." He heard Yuna in his mind saying, "Her vitals are dangerously low. She's lost a lethal amount of blood and her internal organs have been damaged." Eric frowned, we have to get you to the medics right now."

Eric rooted around in the med kid and found a large bandage. He carefully covered her wound and said, "Come on, I'm getting you out of here." Eric put his helmet on and knelt down to pick his mother up. Yuna cut in, "Eric, I'm picking up movement! Unknown classification!" Eric quickly pulled out his Battle Rifle and put himself between the threat and his mother. "What's happening?" She asked. "Just stay down. I'm not letting anything hurt you!" Eric stood at firing position as he heard heavy footsteps coming through the houses door. His motion tracker had a flashing red dot for an unknown contact. He waited as it got closer. He heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. He readied to charge and froze when he saw Devon walk into the room. He lowered his weapon. "Devo what the hell!?" He replied, "Sorry, I had Dokuro disguise my suit to have Covenant traits so I could sneak into a base that they set up. Just forgot to switch it back. Then Dokuro picked up Yuna's signal and we followed it here." Eric shook his head and said, "I'll chew you out later for this one, right now we have to go ASAP!" Eric walked back to his mother. "A wounded civilian?" Devon asked. "No, it's my mother." Eric said as he carefully picked her up and held her close to himself." Before Devon could answer Eric said, "Radio ahead to Command, tell them where bringing a wounded civilian in need of immediate medical treatment." "Understood." Devon said as he ran back out to the Warthogs.

Eric's mother ran her fingers across the dents and gashes on her son's armor. She said, "My god, what all have you done to get your armor so beat up?" Eric said, "Believe it or not this is a new suit and all of this is just from the battle here." His mother's eyes widened and she said, "Don't tell me that I'm stressed enough as it is right now." Eric went back outside and went to his Warthog. It was nearly nightfall and the sun was almost down. Aurora's two large moons were both full in the sky and all the stars were beginning to show as the auroras wrapped around them. In the distance the muffled sounds of distant explosions were heard and the pop of automatic weapons fire crackled in the distance. As Eric carefully set his mother in the passenger seat, she said softly, "Do you remember when you were young and this planet never knew the meaning of war? What happened to those times Eric?" Eric hopped in the driver's seat and said, "Don't worry about that, I'm here to end this war."

The Warthog sped off down the road. Devon took the lead to keep a look out for any threats. As they drove Eric asked, "Mom, what ever happened to dad?" His mother sighed and said, "Your father was killed in a car accident shortly after you were taken, it was one horrible thing after another. I don't know how I kept my sanity." Eric sat silent for a second and then asked, "And what about Yutaka?" His mother replied, "Your sister fled the city with her husband and there baby girl right after the war started here. They managed to make it to one of the Evacuation ships. I don't know where they went from there." Eric asked, "Yutaka's married already? But she's only a year older then me." His mother smiled, "Yes, she married at nineteen. I told her she was still too young but I didn't stand in her way. She married a young man from Earth just like me and your father, and the two were living here for a while." Eric cut in and asked, "And she has a baby girl already?" His mother smiled, "Yes, her name is Nodoka. She has my purple hair." Eric smiled, "I guess that makes me an Uncle." His mother grabbed onto her wound and winced in pain. Eric quickly asked, "Mom are you ok!?" She hid her pain under a smile and said, "Don't worry about it, I'm alright, I just moved wrong." Eric frowned under his visor. "He said, "Yuna, check her vitals again." Yuna quickly scanned her and said, "It's her internal organs, the damage is slowly killing her, we need to get her to the medics immediately!" Eric stepped on the gas and radioed to Devon. "Devo, pick up the pace. We need to get her to the Base immediately." Devon answered. "You got it."

It was now nightfall. The Warthog's headlights were the only thing illuminating the road. The power was still out so streetlights were out of the question. He looked over at his mother. Her attempts to hide her pain were failing. Eric wrapped his hand around his mothers. She smiled and gripped his glove. Devon radioed to him, "Hey, look up ahead!" Eric looked up and saw lights in the distance. It was the Base that he had been fighting to get to. He had made it. He opened his COM Channel and said, "This is SPARTAN-45 requesting permission to enter." A few seconds later a soldier replied, "Welcome to UNSC Outpost Bravo, Senior Chief." Eric looked at his mother. He said, "We made it mom, your going to be fine now!" She managed a weak smile. She didn't answer, the pain made it to hard to talk. She watched as her son pulled up to the main gates and the other Marines waved him through. She didn't know much about the Military but she did know that Senior Chief was a pretty high rank. A since of pride overcame her. She was so proud of her son and had never been happier in her life to see him.

Eric pulled the Warthog up to the medical building and hopped out. "Get a stretcher out here now!" He yelled to some of the medics. He ran over to the passenger seat and carefully lifted his mother out. She winced in pain as he lifted her up. Two medics brought a stretcher out and Eric carefully laid her down on it. Eric went to one of the medic's. He told him, "I'll have Yuna send you a report of her injuries, in the mean time, do everything you can for her." The medic saluted and said, "Understood Sir." Eric went over to his mother and said, "There going to fix you up. I'll come see you as soon as I can." She smiled and said calmly, "I'll be ok, you go do what you have to do, I love you." Eric held her hand and said, "I love you too mom." He watched as they wheeled her inside the base and the doors closed. Devon patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, we have to go check in and report." Eric nodded and followed Devon into the base.


	16. DON'T CRY FOR ME

Sorry for the long pause guys, college is taking up more time then I thought. I managed to get the next few chapters done over my winter break so expect the next 3 or so chapters to be posted pretty directly.

(CHAPTER 16) DON'T CRY FOR ME

UNSC Outpost Bravo hummed with life. Countless troops, vehicles and ships crowded the area and skies. Drop ships were in a constant loop of dropping off troops and supplies. The UNSC was beginning its mass sweep of the city, killing off any Covenant troops they could find. It was the usual for Eric and Devon as they walked towards the main building, the usual comments of troops saying to one another, "Look, Spartan's! Where gonna be ok!" "I knew they would make it through!" Everyone they walked passed saluted. Eric's mind was focused elsewhere. He had found his mother and she was in critical condition. He wanted to be by her side but his military duty wouldn't allow it. He wanted to get through his mission report and overviews as fast as he could.

The two Spartans walked up to the main door. Two ODST's stood guard in front of the massive titanium barrier. The two saluted. The one approached Eric saluted and said, "Field Commander Anthony Calabrese reporting, Sir." Eric and Devon returned the gesture. "At ease." Eric said. He remembered hearing about this Helljumper from other ODST's talking about there missions. He's most known for his solo missions into hostile territory and wiping out entire platoons of enemies singlehandedly. His talent of being a crack shot with a sniper rifle allowed him to eliminate enemy threats quickly and silently. His armor was evidence of his many battles. The jet black alloy was marked with countless scuffs and scratches and its most noticeable feature was of an anime school girl painted on the back of his helmet and shoulder plates.

"Where here to report in." Eric said. Anthony nodded and said, "Understood, the war committee is expecting the two of you. SPARTAN-73 is already inside in the tech lab, he's been waiting for you for a while." Eric nodded. Anthony nodded to the other Helljumper and the two entered a code on key pads located on each side of the door. The key pads beeped and the large metal doors hissed open. Eric and Devon walked down the long hallway walking past countless higher ranked Marines and Tech Officers. The building was huge. A base left over from the start of the Human Covenant war. It was created to act as a command center for the entire war and until recently had been abandoned due to lack of UNSC activity on Aurora.

The two armored warriors came to another large door. A male A.I. appeared on a small holo pad. "You're A.I.'s are required to grant you access to this area." It said in a low voice. Eric and Devon both pulled out there A.I.'s and put there chips into two separate slots. The A.I. raised its head slowly and said. "Access granted. The Committee awaits you." The two Spartans put there A.I.'s back in there armor and waited for the large doors to open. They walked into a dimly lit long hall. Ahead of them, they saw a man in a white lab coat leaning his back against a wall and tapping a clip board off of his leg. He heard the two Spartan's heavy footsteps and instantly stood at attention and said, "I'm Tech Officer Matt Dickey. I'm under strict order to take both of your A.I.'s in for repairs and upgrades." The two Spartans took out there A.I.'s and handed there chips to the Tech Officer. Devon handed Dokuro over and Matt placed her chip in a protective case. Eric held Yuna's chip out and said, "Be sure all of her systems are looked over. She sustained some minor damage to her core and communications during a battle." "Understood." Matt said as he placed Yuna's chip in another protective case. Matt continued. "The rest of the team is preparing to repair SPARTAN-73's A.I." Eric asked. "What do you mean?" "His A.I. was infected with some strange virus. I'm due to report down to the tech lab soon to take a look at her. I haven't seen what where dealing with yet but from what I hear it's bad. This virus spread through her so quickly we had to put her on immediate standby as soon as she got here to keep her alive." Eric nodded and said. "Thank you, we'll be down shortly." Matt saluted and walked to an elevator.

"I knew something bad happened to her when Yuna managed to make contact with her." Eric said quietly to Devon. As the two reached the door to the meeting room, Devon replied, "Don't worry, the best techs in the system are here, they'll take care of it." The door opened and the two walked into a large dimly lit, open air room lined with several large monitors on the wall. In the center of the room an A.I. appeared. This one was a girl dressed in an elegant, red Victorian style dress. She said, "The meeting will begin shortly, please come to the center of the room." The girl vanished back into the holo pad. Shortly after, the door behind them opened. It was Kalder. He walked into the room and Eric said, "Glad to see your ok. I was worried when we lost contact." Kalder answered. "Two familiar faces that I thought I'd never see again." Kalder walked up to Eric and the two punched fists. "Devo, I haven't seen you since the battle for the outer rim. How's that gunshot wound to the back of the knee?" Devo laughed and answered. "That one took forever to heal." The two shook hands. The reunion was short lived. The monitors activated and the faces of the UNSC's highest ranked officers and members of the War Committee appeared. The Spartans took there Helmets off and stood at attention and saluted. "At ease." On the center monitor was Colonel Ackerson. A man who the three knew was never fond of the SPARTANS. The other monitors were occupied by Lord Hood, and Supreme Commander Edwin Drake.

Colonel Ackerson started by saying, "First off, let me begin by saying that we are not at all happy with the current situation on Aurora. Do you have any idea what you allowed to happen?" He said harshly. Eric replied. "Sir, with all due respect, we had no power over the attack on Eclipse. We were…" He cut Eric off. "Are you aware Senior Chief that you allowed the City to fall? Because of your actions the Covenant unleashed a successful attack on Eclipse and brought it to its knees!" Eric continued. "Colonel you have to understand that by the time myself and SPARTAN-73 arrived at Aurora, the Covenant was only a short time behind us. We were barely out of cryo when they arrived." "Don't give me excuses! Because of what you allowed to happen, Eclipse has fallen and this entire systems economy has crumbled!"

"That's enough Colonel!" Lord Hood said. "Clearly these fine soldiers did all they could. You can't expect a three man army to stop the destruction of such a large area. This whole incident was the Covenants doing." Colonel Ackerson replied. Everyone is to caught up relying on Dr. Halsey's wind up toys. When will you all realize that we need to stop sending the Spartans in to do the work of real Marines?" Edwin cut in. "Clearly Colonel, you fail to realize that these fine soldiers have accomplished more in there short careers then you have in your entire time in the UNSC. If I were you I would choose your words more carefully before your speak." Edwin continued. "Clearly, you three have done all you could. I've seen what has happened to you boys during this battle. You're A.I.'s sent constant video files to me during this whole situation. Both you and SPARTAN-73 should be commemorated for your battle against that unknown species of Covenant. I want you both to know I have a complete understanding of Aurora's current situation, and now that General Smith has arrived with the reinforcements, you should be able to eliminate the rest of the Covenant threat easily." Eric nodded, "Thank you Sir, we will continue to repel any resistance that we encounter." Eric noticed the look of hatred Ackerson was giving him. He ignored it. "And SPARTAN-69." Lord Hood said, "We all trust that you will adapt to this battle as well." Devon replied, "I already have Sir." "Good." Lord Hood Replied. Edwin finished the meeting by saying, "Your mission logs are currently going through ONI and you'll be pleased to know that you have assistance awaiting you at your current location. And finally, once you are all rested up and received any medical treatment you may need, Chancellor Izumi is requesting an audience with you three. On that note Spartans, you are dismissed." The screens went black.

The three walked out of the room. "I really hate Ackerson." Eric said. "Kalder replied, "Don't let him bother you, you know he's always hated us, and we have other things to worry about then listening to him complain about the situation." The three boarded an elevator. Devon hit a button for the Tech Lab. The elevator descended deep underground and immerged on a floor lined with computer monitors and separate lab rooms. The three saw Tech Officer Matt leaning against the wall tapping a clip board uneasily off the wall behind him. He heard there heavy footsteps and looked up. He ran up to Kalder and said, "You three, come with me!" The three double timed it down to one of the tech labs. Inside a large group of Lab Tech's were rushing back and forth monitoring computers and other systems. Once inside, the three heard screams of pain. Kalder instantly recognized it. It was Mitsuki. He rushed inside and found her hologram projected on a lab table. Her image was now the size of a normal girl. She was barely over 5 feet tall and she jerked around frantically in pain.

Kalder rushed over to her. In pain she uttered out. "It hurts so bad Kalder." Matt walked up next to Kalder and said, "It's this virus. I've never seen anything like this. We attempted to take that blade of energy out but we can't remove it without the risk of her dieing. Kalder looked at the blade. It was lodged right in the center of her abdomen and sailed completely through her and was sticking out of her back. Nano Crystalline fluid was slowly seeping out of her. Mitsuki lay on her side curled in a ball in pain. Matt continued. "Every few minutes it sends out a bust of energy and it slowly eats away at her power." Almost instantly the blade pulsed with energy and she yelled out in pain. Kalder quickly rested his hand over Mitsuki's and her hologram squeezed onto it. "Like that." Matt said. Mitsuki looked up at Kalder and said, "I feel so weak." Kalder frowned under his visor. He had nothing he could tell her to raise her spirits. He could only say, "Just be still."

A phone rang. Matt answered it and gave several quick responses. He hung up and said, "I was told to tell you three to report to the docking bay. Someone is waiting for you." Eric and Devon nodded. Kalder wasn't as quick to move. Eric had to nudge him away from Mitsuki. As he got up she franticly asked. "Where are you going!? Please don't leave!" Kalder sighed and said, "I have to Mitsuki, don't worry, I'll be back." She frantically yelled out his name as he walked out of the room with the others. Devon and Eric knew how bad the situation was and kept to themselves about it. Right now they didn't feel like sending Kalder over the edge with worry. The three boarded the elevator and headed back up.

Several minutes later the elevator immerged on a docking level. The three walked out and saw the back hatch of a Pelican open. An older woman in a white lab coat stepped off the ship and approached them. Eric said surprised, "Dr. Halsey, what are you doing here? This area isn't safe for you." She replied calmly, "It was brought to my attention that things were going downhill fast for you two and I'm sure that Devon would be in the same boat with you two eventually, so I'm here to try and make things a little easier for you. For starters, one of my A.I.'s is in need of my attention. After that is complete then we can catch up." The three Spartans followed her back into the elevator. She hit the button for the medical bay. As they descended back down into the base Dr. Halsey told them, "Eric and Kalder, just so you're aware, I have new suits of MJOLNIR for the two of you. I see it took you both no time at all to ruin the suits you just got." "Tell that to the Covenant." Eric said. The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the medical bay. She said, "There are rooms prepared for each of you. You are to remove your armor and leave it for repairs. After that you are to wash up then go for a check up because I know at the least that you two need it and Devon I would hope you didn't manage to break anything on yourself in your short time here." He smiled and said, "Not yet Ma'am but we'll see what happens."

Eric and Devon stepped off the elevator and headed there separate ways to there rooms. Kalder stayed back. He turned to Dr. Halsey and said, "Ma'am, you can fix Mitsuki right?" She sighed and said, "I can't make a promise if I know I can't keep it. However, Mitsuki is a very special girl to me and I know she's very special to you too so I'll give it all I've got to repair her." Kalder nodded. The elevator doors closed and Dr. Halsey said, "I'll do all I can for her." He stood and watched the elevator doors slam shut. Kalder made his hand into a fist and punched the wall in frustration. His usual calm and collected personality was the last thing he was worried about at the moment.

Meanwhile, Eric found his room and went inside. He took his Battle Rifle off of the back of his suit and set it on a weapon rack on the wall. He took off his helmet and set it on a small table he saw next to him. He began to take off his armor. With each piece that came off he reassembled it and carefully put it on a rack. Standing in only the black under layer of his suit he felt horribly exposed. He was never accustomed to being away from his armor. With his suit fully reassembled, he stood for a moment and looked at it. It was covered in countless dents, scratches and its most noticeable feature was the slash marks across the chest plate from the Theta's claws and its teeth marks left on the leg plate. He heard a knock at his door. He walked over and opened it. A tech officer stood outside. "Senior Chief, I'm here to pick up your armor." Eric nodded and said, "Sure, it's right in here." The tech officer walked in and wheeled out the stand holding his armor.

Once the tech officer left, he shut the door and headed to the bathroom. He peeled the shirt section of the black layer off and set it aside. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was a wreck. His long electric blue hair was stringy with sweat and blood. His face was marked with several nicks from his visor shattering and his torso was marked with several gunshot wounds that needed attention. The bio-foam had them numbed fairly well and the medics would take care of them later. He peeled the rest of his suit off and stepped in the shower.

He had been in his armor for days and he welcomed the shower. The hot water was soothing on his muscles and to him it just felt great to be clean again. He quickly finished and stepped out and dried off his ghost pale skin and quickly brushed his teeth. He walked back out into his room and saw a set of clothes laid out for him, nothing to fancy, just a black shirt and black pants. Once he was dressed he slicked his hair back and headed for the medical bay.

He was instructed to meet with a man named Dr. Chambers and receive a quick check up and get any wounds patched up. He walked down a long hallway that was lined with doors and smaller offices. Near the end of the hall he entered a room and saw a man with short cut hair and glasses waiting for him. "Good evening Senior Chief." Eric saluted and replied, "Good evening Doctor." Dr. Chambers motioned him to sit. Eric sat down on the hospital table. Dr. Chambers looked through a file and said, "Yuna sent me a report of everything you've been through in the past few days. I must say you've been keeping busy." Eric cracked a smile and said, "I'm in a big city, there's a lot for me to do." Dr. Chambers laughed a little as he went over the report. "It seems you had a few injuries that Yuna had to heal up with Nanites. How are those working for you?" Eric shrugged, "I feel great after they do there job, it's when Yuna runs out of them when I get discomfort." "I can imagine." Dr. Chambers answered. He went through the standard blood pressure, heartbeat, vision and quick blood tests followed by his wound treatments.

Dr. Chambers took a look at the two carbine wounds on his back from when he was protecting Yuki. He injected a chemical that cleaned out the remaining Bio-foam. Eric winced in pain. This procedure hurt just as bad as putting the Bio-foam in. Once his wounds were cleaned out, Dr. Chambers said, "Well, it seems your suit dispersed most of the shot so the damage isn't too bad. I'll just get these closed up and you should be on your way." Dr. Chambers pulled out a tube of a tissue bonding agent. He squeezed the jell over Eric's wounds and sealed them off. He gave him a quick injection of tissue building stimulant and put a bandage over them. "You're good to go Sir. Just be careful out there. Eric stood and thanked him. He walked out of his office and headed back to his room.

Inside he found a black case lying on his bed. He walked over to it and opened it. Inside was his blue and red Dress Uniform. Laying right on top of his uniform, he also found a note.

"Eric,

I heard that Chancellor Izumi requested to see you and the others. I don't know much about the customs of your home planet but I do know enough to know that a young pretty girl like Chancellor Izumi would rather prefer to see a dashing soldier such as yourself in your Dress Uniform rather then in your beat up MJOLNIR armor. I know you know to show only the up most respect for her so please for the love of god, make sure Kalder and Devon show respect.

Dr. Catherine Halsey"

Eric set the message down and smirked. "Jeez, set up a date with her for me why don't yah?" He looked through the case and found what he was looking for. He pulled out the small case containing all of his medals and campaign ribbons, which in his case was nearly every medal a soldier could ever earn. He was proud of every medal he had earned. He set them aside and began to carefully unfold his uniform. He took extra time to carefully put his uniform on and make sure it looked perfect. He put on the long trench coat top and put all of his medals perfectly straight in there place. With his long blue hair slicked back he put his hat on and walked out the door.

Down the hall he saw Devon in his blue and red dress uniform waiting near the elevator. Eric cracked a smile and said, "You know, you clean up pretty good." Devon replied, "What can I say, I'm amazing like that." The elevator doors opened and the two boarded. Devon hit the level for the labs. Eric asked, "Why are we going down there?" Devon said, "Because Kalder's been down there all day waiting to see if Dr. Halsey can repair Mitsuki." Eric sighed. "Lets hopes she can." The doors parted and the two walked down towards the room where Mitsuki was being kept.

Two armed guards stood at the door. They immediately moved when they saw the two Spartans approach. Devon and Eric entered. They found Kalder in his Dress Uniform standing next to the hologram of Mitsuki who was holding his hand. Dr. Halsey had every piece of equipment hooked up to Mitsuki that she had at her disposal. She clacked away at the keys of her computer trying to find a way to disable this virus. The two walked up to Kalder. Eric rested his hand on Kalder's shoulder. "Hey man. How is she?" Eric asked quietly. Kalder sighed. "Dr. Halsey managed to stop the energy pulses from the blade, now it's just a matter of removing it and restoring her systems to normal." Devon walked over to Dr. Halsey and began assisting her with the computer systems.

Mitsuki in a semi conscious state looked up at Eric. She managed a weak smile and said, "Eric, you look so handsome in your uniform. I wish Yuna was down here to see you all dressed up." Eric managed a smile and said, "Thank you. And don't worry, she's seen me dressed up before." Mitsuki continued. "That reminds me, if I can't be repaired; please tell her I'm sorry." Eric replied, "Don't talk like that, you're gonna be good as new in no time." Dr. Halsey spoke up. "Got it!" Eric and Kalder looked at her. She said, "I've managed to quarantine that virus back into the blade. Now all that's left is to remove it." "How do we do that?" Kalder asked. Dr. Halsey replied, "We pull it out." Kalder froze. "Isn't that a little too risky Ma'am? I mean, can't you just delete it?" "We have no other choice, I can't simply delete it, it's a solid object." Dr. Halsey hit several buttons on her computer and two robotic arms lowered down and gripped the edge of the blade. "Now listen to me very carefully." Dr. Halsey said. "There is a chip laying on the table behind you Kalder, it's a special chip that will put Mitsuki into a temporary shut down. Once that blade comes out we only have a few seconds to put her in shut down or she'll die. So as soon as I pull that thing out you put her in that chip, understand?" Kalder picked up the chip. It looked almost similar to a normal Starship A.I.'s chip, only this one was colored black and had yellow trim. He held the device firmly in his hand and said, "Yes Ma'am." "Good." Dr. Halsey said quietly.

Dr. Halsey began to tighten the robotic arms grip on the blade. The slight movement made Mitsuki gasp. "It's alright." Kalder told her calmly. Her holographic hand gripped tightly around his. Dr. Halsey slowly began to slide the blade out. Mitsuki instantly yelled out in pain. "It's alright, just be strong." Kalder told her. As Dr. Halsey inched the blade out Mitsuki's Nano Crystalline fluid seeped out of her wounds. "I have it half way out." Dr. Halsey announced. Mitsuki cried out in pain and fear. Her process went wild as she desperately held onto her Spartans hand. Dr. Halsey said, "Get ready Kalder." Kalder held up the chip and waited. Mitsuki trembled in fear and tears streamed down her cheeks. In one final pull Dr. Halsey slid the rest of the blade out of Mitsuki. Mitsuki fell limp and Kalder quickly transferred her into the chip. The device flashed white and faded to a pale green as Mitsuki was transferred inside its core. "It's done. She's in temporary shut down." Kalder exhaled and gathered himself. Dr. Halsey walked up to him. "Now that we've taken care of that virus I can begin repairing her. I should have her and the rest of your A.I.'s ready for service within twenty four hours." The three Spartans nodded.

Shortly after, the A.I. of the young girl dressed in the Victorian style dress appeared on a holo pad. She said softly in her proper voice, "SPARTAN-45, your presence is requested in the recovery wing." Eric replied, "Thank you, I'll be there shortly." The girl curtseyed and vanished. Eric looked to Kalder and Devon. "It's my mother. I'll meet up with you two later." As Eric headed out the door, Kalder said to Devon, "Wait, he found his mother?" Devon replied, "She was in bad shape when he found her, give him some space for now." Kalder nodded and watched as Eric left the room.

Countless thoughts were running through Eric's mind as he double timed it up to the recovery wing. His nerves were on edge and he felt sick to his stomach with worry. He entered the recovery wing and saw a group of Doctors standing and talking to one another. None of them had promising looks on there faces. He rushed up to them and said, "Where is she?" The one Doctor said, "You had better follow me before you go in and see her." He motioned for the other Doctors to leave the two alone. Eric stood motionless. The Doctor said quietly, "I don't know how to tell you this Sir, but your mother is dieing." Eric's hopes dropped like a rock. "What do you mean!?" Eric asked frantically. "Sir, her wounds were far too serious to be treated. Where all amazed she held on as long as she did." "There has to be something that can be done for her!" Eric said harshly. The Doctor sighed and said, "We can't stop her internal bleeding. Most of her vital organs were damaged beyond treatment. Believe me Sir, we did all we could and we feel as bad as you do about this right now." "What about Nanites!?" Eric suggested frantically. The Doctor sighed and said, "Sir, you know your body has to have a Neural Processor to even be able to support the Nanites." Eric frowned and tried to think of other ways. Anger and frustration filled him, he wanted to beat the living hell out of this Doctor for not doing more but he stopped himself. He quietly asked, "Where's my mother at?" The Doctor motioned to a door at the opposite end of the hall. Eric walked away from the Doctor and headed to his mothers room.

He double timed it down the hallway and stopped at his mother's room. He slowly opened the door and walked inside. His mother heard him come in and looked at him. He saw her smile. It was the same warm smile she always gave him when he was little. She weakly said, "Look at you! You look so handsome in that uniform." Eric slowly walked over to her. He knelt down beside her bed and said as he held back his emotion. "Hi mom." She slowly sat up. Eric quickly helped her. She said, "You have no Idea how happy I am that I got to see you one last time." Eric held her hand and said, "Don't say things like that, you're going to be ok and where both going to get out of here and go somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from this war." She smiled and said, "It's you who shouldn't be saying things like that. You're part of an important branch of the Military now right?" Eric nodded. "Well now, you can't just walk away from your mission, so many people are looking up to you to help them get through all of this." Eric heard the beeping of his mothers heart monitor begin to slow. He frantically looked back at her. She uttered out. "Eric, can you do something for me?" He uttered out, "Name it, I'll do anything." As she lay back down on her bed she said quietly, "When this war is over on Aurora, go find your sister. Make sure she and her baby are ok." Eric nodded as tears began to trickle down his cheek. His mother weakly reached up and whipped the tears from his face. "Don't be sad for me. You have to be strong and get through this. So please, be strong for me." Tears began to flow freely from Eric's eyes. "Give me one last kiss." She said quietly. Eric leaned down and kissed his mother. He had missed her his whole life and now that he was finally back together with her, she was being ripped away from him again. She smiled and said, "I love you so much Eric, you have no idea how proud of you I am right now." Her heart monitor slowly began to fade and soon after flat lined. He watched as his mother slowly closed her bright blue eyes and faded away. "Mom no! Please no! You have to snap out of it! Please wake up!" Her hand went limp as he held onto it. For the first time in years, Eric cried freely. So many horrible things had happened to him since he arrived on Aurora. Experiencing one terrible incident after another had finally driven him to his breaking point. He yelled out in sorrow. His yell echoed through the entire medical floor.

Eric buried his face in his mother's bed and cried as he held onto her hand. He wanted revenge on the Covenant. It was all there fault that so many horrible things were happening. He uttered out, "I'll make them all pay. I swear it, I'll kill every last one of those fucking bastards!"

Hope you all enjoyed it. Expect chapter 17 this weekend.


	17. IZUMI

I'm snowed in my house this weekend and can't go anywhere or do anything so I decided to post this one a few days early for you guys, so enjoy!

(CHAPTER 17) IZUMI

It was windy. His long electric blue hair flowed freely in the late night wind. Eric stood motionless on the roof of the main building of UNSC Outpost Bravo. His gaze was fixed on what was left of Eclipse. All the while his mind was constantly assaulting him with images if his mother. Watching his mother slowly pass away right before his eyes left him torn. He couldn't shake the thoughts from his mind. Seeing the constant vision of his mother slowly closing her eyes and fading away. He let out a sigh.

From behind Eric heard footsteps. He didn't bother to turn. He already knew who it was. Devon walked up beside him and the two focused on the city. It was still dark from the lack of power. The only lights in the city either came from dull emergency lighting or from fires. Devon pulled the top of the coat of his dress uniform closed to keep out the chilly night wind. He said quietly, "You couldn't sleep either?" Not removing his gaze from the destruction, in a monotone voice he said, "No." Devon sighed and said, "I got the full report on what happened to your mother. I'm terribly sorry." Eric nodded quietly. He didn't really feel like talking about it.

Devon knew what was going through his head. He tried his best to get over the obvious topic at hand and move onto something else. He cleared his throat and said, "We'll be leaving for Chancellor Izumi's at exactly 9am tomorrow. What do you think she'll want with us?" Eric crossed his arms and said, "I don't know, she'll probably want to discuss what's going on with this war." Devon continued, "By the way, I don't know that much about your planets rulers, what's she like?" Eric answered. "Chancellor Izumi is the youngest ruler of Aurora ever. She's only 19. The death of her parents brought her into power at a very young age." "What happened to her parents?" Devon asked. "The former Chancellor and his wife were assassinated during one of there public appearances, it was ugly." Eric said.

Eric looked up at the auroras as they changed colors in the night sky. He continued, "Even though she's the youngest ruler ever on this planet, she's done an amazing job and her powers are supposed to be pretty strong to." Devon turned to face Eric, "What do you mean powers?" Eric continued. "All of the rulers of Aurora come from a special blood line that allows them to see things that are going to happen." "So she's a Seeres?" Devon asked. Eric answered, "Kind of, I'm not 100 percent on how it works but supposedly she's able to clearly witness major events before they happen to her planet, which is probably why she had requested for me and Kalder to be near the planet right before the Covenant attacked."

Eric yawned. It was almost three AM and he wanted a little rest before he left in the morning. He turned to Devon and said, "I think I'm going to lie down for a few hours, I want at least a few hours sleep." Devon nodded and said, "Yeah, I should rest up too. Who knows what there going to have us do tomorrow." The two headed for the stairs back down into the base with there long trench coat dress uniforms blowing freely in the wind as they headed inside.

The two boarded an elevator and headed down to there rooms. As the elevator descended, Eric reached in the pocket of his dress uniform. He pulled out a necklace with a stone that shone with an amazing spectrum of color. Devon noticed the object. "What's that?" He asked. Without removing his gaze Eric replied, "It's my mothers Aurora stone. The Doctors gave it to me after she passed away. She had it since I was little. My grandma gave it to her." Eric held up the stone and an intense spectrum of color flowed from the stone. Devon whistled. "That's pretty cool." Eric nodded. "This stone is only found on this planet, there pretty rare. Now this is all I have to remember my mother by." Devon sighed as the elevator slowed to a halt. The doors opened and the two headed out onto the floor. They both parted ways and headed to there room's.

He watched Devon walk down the hall and round a corner out of sight. Eric sighed and leaned his back against the wall. He gripped the chain in his hand and let the stone of his mothers necklace dangle. As he stared into it all he could think about was going to find the Doctor that let his mother die. He wanted nothing more then to kill him for making this happen. He closed his eyes and frowned. "No…" He thought to himself. That Doctor wasn't to blame. This was all the Covenant's doing. He felt so alone. His mother was gone and Yuna was away from him. There was no caring voice for him to listen to. He made his hand into a fist and wanted to punch the wall to get some anger out. He stopped himself and exhaled. This wasn't like him. He needed to calm down and refocus on his mission. He still had a job to do. He sighed and walked slowly down the hall towards his room.

He came to his door and tried the knob. It was locked. He cursed under his breath and searched his uniform for a key card. He saw a red flash and looked at the holo pad on the wall next to him. The A.I. of the little girl in the red Victorian style dress appeared. She said, "Is something wrong SPARTAN-45?" Eric shrugged and said, "Uh, yeah. I don't have a key for my room and it's locked." The girl smiled and said in a proper voice, "Not to worry, I was instructed to keep your room secure and not allow anyone but yourself in." She waved her hand over the door knob and Eric heard a latch move. "There," She said with a smile. "You may now enter your room." Eric nodded and said, "Thank you." And he headed inside.

Eric headed into his room. He shut the door behind him and leaned his back against it. His mind was ragged from everything that had happened. He pulled out his mothers Aurora Stone and looked at it. He missed her terribly and it tore at him inside. He put the object back in his pocket. He slowly walked over to his closet. He took off his dress uniform and neatly hung it up for wearing in the morning. He put on a pair of sweat pants and headed for his bed. He walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror across the room. His well muscled chest was ghost pale and had more then its fare share or scars and cuts. He looked down at his body and ran his fingers over one of the larger scars running across his chest from a battle he fought several years ago. The military had done all of this to him and he was powerless to simply tell them no. He shook his head and cleared the thoughts. He again yawned and fell back onto his bed and within minutes he was asleep.

Chancellor Izumi gasped. She refocused on her surroundings and looked around. She was standing in the middle of the palaces holy font, the pool where for years her family had stood to see visions of what was to come. She breathed heavily as the two silver moons reflected there light off of the pool. She had had another vision. She saw something horrifying heading towards Aurora. It looked like a large saucer shaped ship. She couldn't even begin to guess its size. All she knew was it was heading for her planet and it was going to cause havoc. Still breathing heavily she said to herself quietly. "Please SPARTANS, be ready for this. Please keep this world safe."

It seemed like no time at all had passed. The irritating beeping of his alarm stirred Eric from his sleep. He groaned and sat up. He looked at the clock, it was 7:30. He had only gotten a little under four hours of sleep. He was fatigued enough, he didn't need this. He forced himself to stand and go get himself ready. He quickly brushed his teeth and shaved. Finally he injected a quick dose of tissue building stimulant into his wounds on his back. Eric looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His face was still covered in cuts from his visor blowing out when The Arch fell. He hopped that the Chancellor would over look that when he met her. After all, he was about to meet the ruler of his home world and he wanted to look his best.

He walked back out into his room and put his dress uniform on making sure every medal and campaign ribbon was put on correctly and straight. He combed his hair into his long side bangs and put his hat on and headed out the door. His watch read 7:50. He was running behind so he double timed it to the lift up to the shuttle bay. He quickly found the elevator and hit the button for top side.

The elevator shuddered to a halt and Eric stepped out onto landing bay and saw Kalder and Devon standing in there Dress Uniforms. Eric walked up and greeted them. In the distance he saw a shuttle approaching the landing bay. It was a Diplomatic Shuttle with the Chancellor's family seal painted on the side. It swiftly glided down and landed. Its side door opened and a man in a white uniform stepped out. He motioned the three Spartans over. The three walked up to the shuttle and boarded it. The three stepped inside and found seats in the elegant craft. The man in the white uniform then approached them and said, "We will be arriving at the Chancellors palace in about fifteen minutes, so until then please relax and enjoy the ride." The three nodded and thanked him.

The shuttle lifted off the landing pad and swiftly flew off for the palace. Kalder nudged Eric. "What's up?" Eric asked. Kalder replied, "What should I expect when we land?" Eric turned to face him, he said. "A really big and I mean big palace. And as far as the Chancellor goes, she's a very proper girl and will be heavily guarded so for the love of god don't do anything stupid. Just because we're Spartan's doesn't mean that her guards won't hesitate to kill us if they think where trying to pull something." Kalder nodded. "So really big palace and security to the extreme. Got it!"

After the short flight, the shuttle arrived at the palace. It genteelly hovered down and landed. The man in the white uniform opened the door of the shuttle and said, "Welcome to the Imperial Palace of Aurora. The three stepped out and saw before them a massive palace. It resembled that of an elegant medieval castle with countless sky scraping towers and a large main structure with an overall modern look. Its towers seemed to extend for thousands of feet. Eric had seen the palace before but never this close and he never could have imagined he would be going inside it. The three marveled at its size and the landscape. The fertile green gardens seemed to stretch for miles. This area seemed so tranquil. It was hard to believe there was a war going on only thirty miles away from them. The skyline of the city in the distance was evidence of that. Also was the fact of several Longsword fighters in a constant patrol around the Palace.

Several guards in white uniforms all carrying UNSC Battle Rifles greeted them. The one said, "Welcome to the Imperial Palace, her majesty is expecting you. If you three would kindly get aboard the coach, I will take you to the palace. The three Spartans saluted and followed. The guard drove them down a long stone path to the palace. It ran through the beautiful gardens and past tranquil waterfalls and man made lakes.

As they drove, Eric looked up at Aurora's two moons. They both looked like they were about to align. Eric thought, "Is it almost time for the Solar Eclipse again?" It was a spectacle that he had never witnessed. Every fifty years the two large moons would align and a Solar Eclipse that lasts for several hours would occur. It was a rare sight that most of the citizens of Aurora looked forward too but because of this war no one would be around to enjoy it.

Eric felt the coach slow to a stop. He noticed that they were stopped in front of a large flight of stairs that led up to the palace. The front entrance was dominated by beautiful, large stained glass windows and two tall flag poles with Aurora's blue and silver flags blowing in the wind. The three Spartans stepped off the coach and made there way up the large steps. Eric mumbled too Devon and Kalder, "So help me, if either of you do anything stupid in here…" "Relax." Kalder said, "We'll behave." "You damn well better." Eric said quietly.

At the top of the steps were a line of guards standing at the door. The three walked past as they all stood at attention. In front of them was a guard wearing a black uniform with several medals on it standing at attention in front of a large main entrance. He said, "Spartans, her majesty awaits you in the throne room." Eric saluted and said, "Thank you, we'll go straight there." The guard spoke into his radio and said, "Let them in." Almost instantly after he gave the order, the fifty foot tall doors slowly swung open. The three walked inside and were stunned at the sight. The palace was simply breath taking inside. Its elegance was astounding and the sheer size of it was stunning. Amongst there stunned first impression on the palace, they heard the sound of a girl clearing her throat as if to get there attention. They looked down and saw before them a younger girl in a black and white mini skirted maid uniform. She looked to only be at least eighteen years old and had long black hair that extended to her mid back. She smiled politely at the three Spartans and said, "Good morning and welcome to the Imperial Palace." Eric nodded politely and said, "Thank you Miss. We are honored to be here." She closed her eyes and smiled. "My name is Anna, I am the head maid here and I was instructed by the Chancellor to take you to the throne room." "Oh, well thank you." Eric replied. He felt Devon shoving him aside. He looked at Devon and he said, "What are you doing. Devon smirked and said, Let me handle this one." Eric was confused. He was about to argue but realized Devon wasn't even paying attention to him. Devon approached Anna and said, "It's and honor to meet you and to be at this palace." He knelt down on one knee, took her hand in his and kissed it. Eric smacked his forehead. "Dear lord." He thought to himself. Anna blushed and said, "No, the honor is mine to be able to meet three warriors such as yourselves." Devon laughed to himself and said, "Please, don't flatter us, we merely do what where ordered to and that's it. It's nothing major." Eric wished he had his Battle Rifle with him. All he could think about was getting one good well placed melee on the back of Devon's head. He heard Anna say, "Still, we're all very grateful for everything you have done for this planet, and I'm sure the Chancellor wants to speak with you immediately so please, follow me." Devon smiled and said calmly, "Of course, please lead on." She nodded politely and turned.

The Spartans followed Anna down the long maze of hallways and up several large grand stair cases. "It must be easy to get lost in here." Devon said as he continued to flirt. Anna replied cheerfully, "It can be, you just have to know where you're going." "Ever get lost in here?" Kalder asked. Anna giggled to herself, "A few times but I can manage to find my way back."

Several minutes later they arrived at a large double door. Anna said, "Please wait here while I inform the Chancellor of your arrival. The Spartan's nodded as Anna headed down a small side hallway. Eric looked at Devon and Kalder and said, "Remember to only address her as Chancellor or Your Highness and for the love of god don't say anything stupid." Kalder scoffed, "What makes you think we would do something like that?" Eric laughed to himself, "Saying what you just said makes me think things like that Kalder." Devon laughed, "Just relax, this will go fine. She's only nineteen after all." Kalder cut in, "A nineteen year old that happens to be the ruler of a planet, nothing to major." Eric turned to Devon. "Oh yeah, before I forget, knock off the flirting! We have more important matters to worry about!" Devon sighed and said, "You need to relax, your making to big a deal out of this, we've talked to higher ups before. And as for the flirting, I can't help that she's quite possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen on two legs, when you meet that special girl someday Eric, you'll understand where I'm coming from with this." Eric sighed and said, "Just keep it to yourself for now ok."

As the three quieted down, they heard sounds of shouting coming from in the throne room. "Hang on a second." Eric said as he leaned in closer to the door. From inside he heard the sounds of people shouting different things about the war. From the sounds of it, none of them were too happy. Eric heard someone approaching and he instantly snapped back to attention.

A guard walked up to the three and said, "Please step up to the door, Her Majesty will see you now." The large double door opened revealing a massive throne room. Its walls sparkled with a spectrum of color, they almost looked like they were made of solid crystal. The three walked into the throne room. Inside all of the planets political figures were arguing amongst themselves. There focus however was fixed on the one girl standing at the very front of the room with a large throne behind her. She looked at them as they approached. Kalder whispered to Eric, "You didn't tell me she was this good looking." Eric mumbled back, "I know, just keep the comments to yourself until we leave." Kalder looked back at the Chancellor as he approached. The truth was, he had never seen a more beautiful girl in his life. The only girl he had ever thought to be beautiful was his A.I. Mitsuki but she was just a program incapable of real life emotion, only programmed emotion. Izumi however was someone he could actually interact with in the flesh and not through a computer system.

When the three made it to the front of the room the arguing quieted down. Eric immediately got down on one knee and bowed his head in respect. Kalder and Devon not familiar with the customs of what to do in front of rulers just followed Eric's lead. Eric said, "Chancellor Izumi, we are honored to see you and to be able to fight for our Planet." Complete silence filled the room so Izumi could speak. She calmly said, "Arise Spartans." The three slowly rose up and stood at attention. They all looked at Chancellor Izumi. She was the epitome of beauty. She had shorter hunter green hair that barely touched her shoulders and had matching calm eyes. She wore a beautiful silver and blue dress that reflected the colors of the spectrum, just like the back of a CD reflects light. She also had a very well kept figure and her large chest was accompanied by perfect curves.

She looked at the three super soldiers and said, "Aurora has suffered terribly in these past few days. Eclipse has been all but destroyed and our world was nearly overtaken by the Covenant. However, it is because of the quick actions of you three and the rest of the UNSC that further tragedy was avoided. I am pleased to say that with your help, the UNSC forces have repelled nearly all of the ground forces from Eclipse and the surrounding areas." Izumi paused as the crowd came into another uproar. One of the planets Senators spoke up. "Clearly Chancellor the UNSC was too late. I don't think "Quick" is the appropriate word." Izumi calmly replied, "And clearly Senator you have no right to be blaming anyone for this! None of us knew that this war was coming." Another Senator spoke up. "You saw no vision of this before hand?" Izumi sighed, "My only premonitions of this war, was just seeing Eclipse in chaos. I never could have imagined that the Covenant would unleash such a large scale attack like this. Nor did I see any sign of The Arch's collapse." The crowd again went into chaos over what was just said. Over the shouting, a man said, "Why didn't you act when that first Covenant Spy Probe was detected and brought to our attention?" Izumi replied, "Actions were taken!" Izumi shouted. The crowd quieted down at the sound of there Chancellor yelling. She pointed to Eric, Kalder, and Devon. "They, are the action taken! They, are the reason the Covenant are in a retreat! And they, are the reason why the rest of this world isn't burning into glass!" These three soldiers have fought since the very beginning of this war on Aurora, and long before that. They are the reason that Aurora, Earth, and the other Colonies are still a safe heaven! So don't tell me that no actions were immediately taken Senator.

"What have they done since they got here?" Someone else quoted. "The minute this war started the city was already beginning to crumble. How much could three UNSC Soldiers accomplish in that short time?" The crowd began to shout and agree. Izumi looked at the three Spartans standing motionless. There faces never changed even at the constant insults being thrown at them. She marveled at there discipline and wished she herself possessed it. She looked back at the crowd and said, "I have seen the Vid recordings from SPARTAN-45 and SPARTAN-73's missions. Truly they have been through more pain and suffering then any of us have through this battle." Izumi motioned for someone to dim the lights. The room darkened and images from the war began to play. Eric, Kalder and, Devon watched as the highlights of what they had been through played. It started with there arrival and how it had all started bad for them and had only gotten worse. She moved onto showing Eric fighting through the glass fields and Kalder making his way through the city fighting off brutes and even showed recordings of his capture and escape from Covenant forces. It showed how each of them survived the collapse of The Arch and how badly each of them were injured. She moved onto highlights of the Theta battles, highlights of the intense fighting of this never before seen Covenant. She showed Eric getting bitten in the leg and nearly killed by the Theta. The crowed could easily hear Eric's yells of pain over the recording as the Theta bit deeply into his leg. And finally ended with the three Spartans fighting to regroup with each other, letting nothing stand in there way. Izumi ended the video and the lights came back on. She looked back at the crowed of Government Officials and said, "Now do you see what a small group of people can accomplish? They have suffered and bled to protect this city and did they stop fighting? Did any of them stop for a second and even consider leaving!?" Izumi watched as the crowed stood motionless and grasped what she was saying. "Don't ever think for a second that just because we allowed the Covenant to unleash this major attack on Aurora that it will go unanswered. And people, these Spartan's are our answer!"

It began to sink into all of the planets Officials that all was not lost. If these soldiers could keep fighting then maybe there was a chance to save Aurora. Izumi turned towards Devon, "Also SPARTAN-69 will no doubt take more then his fair share of fighting in this war against the Covenant. Therefore, it is with great pride on behalf of Supreme Commander Edwin Drake, Myself, The UNSC. and our beautiful planet of Aurora, I am pleased to award the three of you the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer." The crowed slowly began an applause. Izumi hopped that what she said had sunk in and that the rest of her world would have as much faith in the UNSC and the Spartan's as she did.

The three were stunned. They were now promoted to the highest rank in the Navy. Chancellor Izumi walked down the steps leading away from her throne to the three Spartans. In her hands she held a black case. She stood before the Spartans and had to look straight up at them. She opened the case and revealed three medals with the rank of Master Chief on them. She pulled out the first medal and approached Eric. He knelt down to make it easier for her to pin it on his uniform. She smiled and blushed as the Spartan knelt before her. She placed the medal amongst his countless other campaign medals and ribbons. Eric stood up and thanked her. "Thank you your Highness." Izumi smiled and said, "I should be thanking you. It is because of you three that the Covenant are now being repelled." Izumi did the same for Kalder and Devon. The three turned and faced the crowd and they all cheered.

Izumi raised her hands up and the crowd quieted down. The Spartans turned to face her. Izumi continued. "This war is drawing to an end and we can finally begin to rebuild and rise from the rubble. Aurora will once again rise from the ashes and take its place back in the universe as one of the galaxies major powers and we have these fine Soldiers along with the rest of the UNSC to thank." Izumi walked up to Eric, Kalder and Devon. She picked up the edges of her elegant dress and did a curtsey in front of them. "The three of you have my everlasting thanks and gratitude." Eric bowed his head and said, "The honor is ours Chancellor for defending this beautiful planet." Izumi smiled and said, "Aurora is forever in your debt. Thank you Spartans for all you have done."

With that, the three saluted and turned and exited the room. They exited back out through the large doors from the throne room and stood in the hall. Kalder's mind was miles away. While Eric and Devon were on cloud nine from there new promotion to Master Chief's, Kalder found himself thinking about the Chancellor. He had never seen a more beautiful girl in his life. He began thinking about trying to get a moment alone with her but immediately stopped himself. He was a Spartan, he didn't have time for flirting, and besides, she was the ruler of a planet. There's no way a girl of her stature would ever go for a soldier, no matter how high his rank was. Kalder sighed out loud. Eric and Devon looked up at him. "What's wrong?" Devon asked. He quickly replied, "Nothing, I'm just tired." Eric and Devon looked at each other then back at Kalder. Eric said, "That's not your usual I'm tired sigh, it seems like something's bugging you. Is it Mitsuki?" Kalder shot back, "No, nothing's bothering me, just drop it ok." "Whoa!" Eric said, "Sorry!" Kalder didn't reply.

Amongst the chaos of the three arguing, they heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the palaces floor. They looked over and saw Anna's smiling face. She said softly, "The Chancellor has sent me to tell you that she would like you to join her for dinner this evening in the grand dining hall." Eric smiled and said, "Tell the Chancellor we would be honored to join her." Anna smiled cheerfully and said, "Wonderful, I will let her know immediately that you will be joining her. Please come to the grand dining hall at exactly 5:30 this evening. Until then feel free to walk around the palace grounds." Anna turned elegantly on here heel and walked off. Eric turned to Devon and Kalder, he said, "While we wait for tonight, I think I'm going to take a look at the security measures they have around here, just to make sure there security is as great as these guards say it is. You guys going to join me?" Devon replied, "Rain check! I'm going to see if I can help Anna with anything." Eric looked at Devon. "What for?" Devon replied, "She's been so nice to us since we got here I figure the least I could do to repay her is to offer her some help around here." Before Eric or Kalder could say anything else, Devon was heading down the hall after Anna. Kalder said, "I think I'll hang back and take a walk around the palace. I need to clear my head." Eric shrugged. "Ok then, radio in if you want to join us." Kalder nodded then headed for the Palace Gardens.

After managing to find his way outside after getting lost several times, Kalder walked outside into the gardens. It was a beautiful day. It was sunny and birds were singing. The daylight dulled down the ever present auroras flowing gracefully through the sky but they were still visible none the less. The only thing that took away from the tranquil beauty was the cloud of smoke that blew over the area. Kalder looked up and saw the trail of smoke leading back to what was left of Eclipse. The skyline was still very much visible even from this distance away. Despite the destruction, it was comforting to know that the Covenant was being repelled. He continued walking through the gardens. The blue and red trench coat of his dress uniform was blowing freely in the wind as he walked. Up ahead he saw a large stone bridge that arched over a small lake. He walked up onto the bridge and stopped at the top. He rested his arms on the wall of the bridge and looked out onto the lake that was surrounded by beautiful flower gardens and exotic birds that were native to this planet.

Kalder was lost in his own little world. He didn't even notice that someone was walking up behind him. He heard a soft voice behind him say, "It's so beautiful here don't you think?" Kalder shook himself from his trance and turned. He saw Chancellor Izumi standing in front of him with her warm smile on her face. Kalder quickly regained his composure and snapped to attention. He said, "Chancellor Izumi, forgive me I didn't see you coming." She smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, and please, just call me Izumi." Kalder nodded, "Yes Ma'am." She giggled to herself and said, "Military to the core I see." Izumi walked up beside him and looked out over the bridge. She sighed to herself and said, "I love this spot, it's my favorite out of this whole palace. I loved standing here ever since I was a little girl." Kalder nodded, "It's very nice here. A lot better then what I'm used to seeing." Izumi looked at him. "I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been in Eclipse when The Arch fell. It was devastating enough to watch from back here." Kalder shrugged, "It was something I hope I don't have to go through again. Both me and Eric were caught in that." Izumi replied, "I know, I watched every second of the Vid recordings. You both were hurt pretty bad when that happened. That and when you were fighting those Theta's." Kalder stiffened. The Theta was one thing he hoped he would never have to face again.

Izumi said calmly, "Walk with me please." "Yes Ma'am." Kalder replied. Izumi sighed, "I told you, just call me Izumi. I only have to be referred to in a proper manner when I'm in front of Government Officials." "Forgive me Izumi." Kalder said. "She smiled and said "That's better."

Izumi took Kalder's arm and lead him down through the gardens. She was a foot and a half shorter then he was so she had to reach up to lock arms with him. Her blue and silver dress splashed the area with color as the light reflected off of it. She said calmly, "It's so peaceful here." "It is." Kalder said. She continued, "Once all of the remaining Covenant ships are repelled from this area we can finally start to rebuild and restore this planet back to its original beauty." She looked up at Kalder with her bright green eyes, "And it's you I have to thank. It is because of you and the other Spartans quick actions that the Covenant where repelled so quickly." Kalder said, "It wasn't completely our doing, we had a lot of help from the reinforcements as well." Izumi continued, "That is true but it is because of you and Eric's recon work on the ground that we were able to deploy repelling parties. It was your endurance, will to survive and to complete your mission that caught my attention." Kalder didn't know what to say. His mind was in vertigo. He was overwhelmed with the fact that he was walking arm in arm with the girl that he found to be the most lovely girl he had ever seen. All he could think of for a reply was, "I was simply doing what I was ordered too." Izumi sighed and rested her head on Kalder's arm as she walked with him. "Izumi, is something wrong?" Kalder asked. She smiled to herself and calmly said, "No, nothing. I just feel so safe with you." Kalder didn't know how to answer. Izumi sighed and said, "I'm a little tired after all that just happened back in the throne room. "Would you mind if we rested a while?" "Not at all." Kalder said.

Izumi led him over to a bench near a tranquil garden that sat next to a pond. The two sat down and Izumi loosened her grip from Kalder's arm. She sighed and said, "Being Chancellor get's to me. So much is expected of me from so many people." Kalder replied, "I can imagine, you're still so young and yet you rule an entire planet. The pressure would be too much for me. I'm envious of how well of a job you're doing at it." Izumi quietly said, "If only more people thought so highly of me like you do Kalder." Just hearing her say his name made Kalder's mind go wild. He looked at her and the two's gaze met. They stared deep into each others eyes and Kalder felt himself moving his lips closer to Izumi's and she felt hers doing the same. There lips nearly met and Kalder felt the feeling shaken away from him as Izumi pulled herself away. "I'm sorry. Forgive I don't know why I acted like that." Izumi quickly stood up and walked away. Kalder stood and said, "Izumi wait a minute." She ignored him and headed back towards the palace. Kalder sat back down on the bench and sighed. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He closed his eyes tightly and lightly punched himself in the forehead. "Stupid!" He said to himself. Kalder opened his eyes and looked up at the auroras dancing in the sky. He said to himself. "I just hope dinner goes better."


	18. ANOMALIES

Hey, sorry for the long pause. College is once again eating up most of my time. This chapter is a little shorter then what I usually post but the next one should be longer. Enjoy!

(CHAPTER 18) ANOMALIES

It had taken Eric hours to even start to get his grounds in the palace. The palace was massive and he had gotten lost several times trying to find his way around. After finding a maid to show him to the security room he thanked her and continued on with his work. He approached a metal door guarded by two armed guards with UNSC Battle Rifles. They both saluted as the Spartan approached. Eric returned the gesture and he said, "SPARTAN-45, reporting to check on the Palace security." The guard nodded and said, "Welcome to the Security Center SPARTAN-45, you're expected inside." Eric nodded and the guards swiped access cards into key slots and the door slid open. Eric walked past them and into the security center.

Inside reminded him of the bridge of a Starship. The room was dark and was only illuminated by the blue glow of computer monitors and countless buttons and controls. A man in a dark grey uniform with several medals pinned to his coat approached him. He said, "SPARTAN-45, it is a pleasure to meet you." Eric walked up to him and saluted. "Likewise Sir." He continued, "I'm Mark Wallace, head of security. I understand you're here to look over our systems and guard formations." Eric nodded, "Yes Sir, I'm under strict orders to make sure no harm comes to the Chancellor." Wallace smiled and said, "I think you'll find all of our security systems and features to be of the highest standards."

He led Eric over to a set of monitors. He pushed several buttons and a long list of security features popped up. He continued, "As you can see we have a total of five hundred guards on constant patrol, countless security cameras and motion censors, an entire battery of automatic turrets located in several locations around the Palace grounds and four Longsword fighters in a constant patrol around the Palace sky's at all times." Eric nodded. "Very impressive. Tell me about your guards. What are they trained in?" Wallace replied, "Our guards are trained in tactical defense, armed and unarmed combat and advanced weaponry." Eric looked over lists of security features and guard rosters. He asked, "Well that's good to know but how do your guards fare against the Covenant?" Wallace paused for several seconds then replied, "I'm not entirely sure, they've never had to face the Covenant."

Eric looked away from the monitors and faced Wallace. He replied, "I see, your security systems are impressive and I don't doubt your guards are a group of fine men but if the Covenant should ever attack, your guards would be picked off like sitting ducks." Eric looked back at the computer monitors, "Tell me, have your guards ever been in a battle situation? As in an all out Palace defense." Wallace replied, "No Sir, but they've faired very well in drills and mock up sinerios." Eric replied, "All of that means nothing in an actual battle. If the Covenant were to launch an attack on the Palace they would have no problem getting through your defenses. Which is why I would like to have several platoons of UNSC troops on station here just to be safe." Wallace paused and said, "I understand. I'll inform the Chancellor immediately."

Eric found a headset. He put it on and set it to Outpost Bravo's frequency. He radioed in and said, "SPARTAN-45 to Command come in." A few seconds later someone replied, "Command, go ahead." Eric said, "I'm requesting four, fifty man platoons to be stationed at the Imperial Palace for extra protection of the Chancellor." "Understood, we'll have them deployed ASAP." Eric looked back at Wallace and said, "There, now we have a proper defense set up should anything go south."

Anna led Devon down long corridors in the Palace. She was showing him around after his request for her to give him a tour so he could learn certain locations. In other words, it was his fancy excuse to spend time with Anna. Devon heard his radio earpiece click on. He heard Eric's voice. "Hey, good news. I managed to get a few platoons of UNSC troops here for extra firepower should anything go wrong. That and all the security systems meet our standards for the Chancellors safety." Devon replied back, "Hey, that's great but I'm a little busy doing work of my own so I'll get back to you." He heard Eric try to protest but he switched off his radio. Anna asked, "Am I keeping you from something important?" Devon smiled and said, "Not at all, just Eric bugging me. Nothing to be worried about." Devon linked arms with Anna and said, "If I may?" Making himself seem as suave as possible. Anna blushed and said, "Of course." The two kept walking.

Kalder meanwhile was sitting in a stone wall out in one of the gardens. He hadn't felt like doing anything after his little moment with Izumi. His mind kept wandering and he couldn't bring himself to focus on anything. However, there was one thing that had been bothering him. He opened his radio and contacted Outpost Bravo. "SPARTAN-73 calling Dr. Halsey." There was a quick click of static fallowed by her voice. "Yes Kalder, what is it?" She asked softly. Kalder nervously asked. "Ma'am, I was just checking to see if Mitsuki was able to be repaired." Dr. Halsey replied, "It took me forever and it was tough but I managed to repair her." Kalder felt a wave of relief wash over him. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you Ma'am. You have no idea how much better that makes me feel. Can I talk to her?" Dr. Halsey replied, "You'll have to wait a while before you can talk to her. She's currently in standby mode while I re calibrate all of her systems and get her back to working order. Don't worry though; she will be fully operational again within twenty four hours." Kalder managed a weak smile and said, "I understand. When she wakes up, let her know I'm thinking about her and tell her I said to get well soon." "I'll do that." Dr. Halsey said. "Thank you Ma'am, Kalder out." Kalder clicked off his radio and hopped down off of the wall.

It was getting to be late afternoon. The sun was beginning to glow a deep orange as evening began to creep closer. Kalder walked down through the Palaces gardens. He noticed an ornate clock set up at a small cross roads in the path. It was 4:30 p.m. He radioed in to Eric. He said, "Hey, want to meet up and get ready for tonight?" Eric replied coolly, "Yeah, I'll meet you in the main hall in fifteen minutes." Kalder nodded to himself and said, "Alright, see you then." He flipped off his radio and headed back to the Palace.

A large decorative clock in the Palace chimed. Devon and Anna looked up at it and saw the time. Devon sighed. "4:30 already? I'm sorry Anna but I need to check in with the others." She smiled and said, "I understand. You still have important things to do and I'm probably holding you up anyways." Devon smiled, "Not at all. Its been nice to just relax and spend time with you." Anna blushed and said, "Maybe I can see you again after you finish dinner and discussing the war with Chancellor Izumi?" Devon crossed his arms and smiled. He said, "I have an idea. How about you accompany me to dinner tonight?" Anna stood slightly stunned. "You want me to go with you to something as important as this?" "Of course I do." Devon said. Anna replied, "I don't know if I could. Tonight's dinner is strictly for some of the Senators, the Chancellor, and you three Spartans to discuss important matters about the war." Devon shrugged. "I know, I've been in meetings like that before and there not that vicious." Anna sighed and said, "I'd love to Devon but I doubt Her Majesty will allow me to attend even though I am close friends with her." Devon put his hand on Anna's shoulder and said, "Then tell the Chancellor that I requested you to accompany me. I doubt she'll say no to a request from a SPARTAN." Anna smiled warmly as she usually did and said, "I'll try my best." Devon smiled and said, "Good. Let me know as soon as you find out." As Devon turned to leave Anna and meet up with Eric and Kalder, he heard Anna say, "I'll let you know as soon as I find out." She smiled happily as she turned and headed down the long hallway to speak to Izumi. Devon watched her skirt swish as she walked and couldn't help but stare. He shook his trance and headed to meet up with the others.

Eric stood with his back resting against the palace walls. He looked at a small ornate clock on one of the tables in the hallway. The small clock chimed as it hit 4:45. Eric sighed. "There late as usual." A few moments later he saw Kalder walked up. He still looked kind of… off. To Eric, he didn't have his usual carefree attitude, it seemed like something was bothering him. Eric walked up to greet him. "Hey, about time you got here. Did you get lost?" Kalder shrugged. "No, I just didn't realize it would take me that long to get here." Eric nodded, "It's fine, we still have about forty five minutes until we're supposed to have dinner with the Chancellor." Kalder ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He then replied, "I know." Eric raised an eyebrow. He said, "Look, I know something's bothering you. Just tell me what's going on. I mean, we've solved each other's problems ever since we were kids back on Reach."

Kalder replied quietly, "You couldn't help me with this one even if you wanted to." Eric replied, "Try me. I've helped you through tough decisions before." Kalder sighed and said, "The Chancellor is an amazing girl. I've never met someone before who had this kind of impact on me." Eric crossed his arms and said, "Wait, are you trying to tell me that you have the hots for the Chancellor?" Kalder frowned and said, "See, I told you, you couldn't help me with this one." Eric replied, "Look, Kalder. I know Izumi is around our age and has a deep trust with us but come on! She's the Chancellor of a planet. And I'm not trying to sound like a dick here, but I doubt that a Chancellor would go for the combat type." Kalder replied quietly, "I know. We talked for a while earlier today and I thought we had a connection going, but in the end she had to stop herself." Kalder looked up at Eric, "I'm getting tired of living the loner life. I may be surrounded by war 24/7 but that doesn't mean that I can live my entire life without loving someone." Eric ran his fingers through his long electric blue hair. He replied, "I know, we all want that and who knows, maybe someday we'll get what we want, but I mean come on. She's a Chancellor, Kalder. You're setting your bars a little to high, don't you think?" Kalder looked at Eric and said, "I thought so to, but seriously though, I thought we had a connection." Eric put his hand on Kalder's shoulder. He said, "I can't speak for fait here, but who knows maybe you two did, and technically there's no law against who the Chancellor can and can't be with so who knows." Eric punched Kalder in the shoulder and laughed. "You waist no time! We've only been here a few days and you're already flirting it up with a Government Official." Kalder replied, "Oh shut up!"

Devon walked down the hall and saw the two. He looked at Eric and said, "I'm guessing I missed something?" Eric replied, "Nothing really, just chatting with Kalder." The small clock chimed 5pm. Eric said, "And seeing as how it's already five and you took your sweet time getting here, Devo, I'll let you explain to the Chancellor as to why where late for her dinner tonight." Devon replied, "Sorry, I lost track of time when I was talking with Anna." Eric replied as he started walking down the hall. "Good lord, you too?" Devon shot back, "I wasn't flirting if that's what you're thinking, and I know it is. We where just chatting." Eric replied, "Bull shit, I know you better then that, but argue about it with me later, we have to get ready and head to the grand dining hall."

Aboard the bridge of the UNSC Capital Ship, The Raven, General Alex Smith was far from having a care free attitude. He watched out of the ships front view port as his fleet destroyed the several remaining Covenant ships. Something was bothering him. No Covenant fleet ever completely withdrew from a battle like this. They may have destroyed the Capital City but there was still the rest of the planet left. He said quietly, "Shana, give me a scan of the surrounding solar system for any anomalies or for any unknown ships that may be running dark. I don't want anyone sneaking up on us right now." An A.I. appeared of a girl with long, flowing, blazing fire red hair that dangled down to her knees. She was dressed in a long black gothic style cloak and glowing embers fluttered around her body. Her deep red and orange eyes peered out into space as she did her scan.

A few seconds later she replied, "I'm not picking up anything other then the battle where sitting in." Smith stared out into space and said, "No ships running dark?" She said softly, "No, I would have picked them up instantly. We're the only fleet here." Shana saw the look of concern on Smith's face. She asked softly, "General, is everything ok?" He replied, "I don't know. This isn't like the Covenant at all to only leave the job half finished when there attacking a planet." He saw Shana put her hand on her forehead. "Incoming transmition from the planet Hydrus." Smith replied, "If it's just a pointless message it can wait, we have more to worry about here." Shana replied, "General, it's from SPARTAN-53." Smith turned and said, "53, that's Emma. Put her through."

A monitor on the bridge clicked on and a SPARTAN in red armor with black secondary coloring appeared on the screen. She was standing with her helmet off. Her shoulder length wavy brown hair was blowing in a strong wind on the water dominant planet of Hydrus as she reported in. She was a little on the short side, even for a Spartan. She was still an attractive girl none the less and was currently fighting off a small scrimmage of Covenant troops trying to take power of the planet. "General Smith." She said. Smith replied, "Sergeant Major, what do you have to report?" Emma replied, "General, we just had a major blip in the solar systems radio frequencies." Smith asked, "Like a ship cluster?" Emma replied, "Unknown Sir, but whatever just passed over us was large enough to disrupt nearly all of our COM systems and ship board communications. Also, these anomalies seemed to come from something traveling in slip space." "That's impossible! Slip space frequencies can't be picked up." General Smith replied. Emma continued, "I know, where still trying to figure out what it was. However, we do know that whatever caused it was large enough to distort space through a slip space jump and had a large enough power source to screw our Communication systems over completely." General Smith replied, "Just keep an eye out for anything unusual, because right now we have enough problems of our own in the Luna System." Emma replied, "That's just it Sir, our A.I.'s managed to track its course. Whatever that was, it's heading for your location."

Smith went quiet as he processed what he had just heard. He knew the Covenant weren't done with them yet. Now whatever it was that just passed over a planet on the other side of the system was now heading for his location. He said quietly, "Thank you for the Intel, Sergeant Major, keep us posted if you find anything else." Emma replied calmly, "Understood. Would you like me to come to Aurora with a small fleet for some extra back up incase the Covenant decide to try something." Smith replied, "Negative, we already have three Spartans planet side now." Emma asked, "Who's down there?" Smith said, "SPARTAN's 45, 69, and 73." Emma laughed, "No wonder everything is in chaos on Aurora, you have those three down there without my supervision!" Smith cracked a small smile and said, "They've done a pretty decent job so far. I think they can handle it." Emma smiled and said, "Yeah, those three work good alone, but put them into a three man squad and watch the chaos begin. They've been like that ever since training." Smith replied, "I have faith in them. They'll get the job done." Emma put her helmet back on and said, "Understood Sir, but I have to get back to the fight, I just wanted to hand that piece of Intel over to you." She saluted and said, "SPARTAN-53 out."

The monitor went black. Shana said to General Smith. "I'll keep a constant scan going on the Luna System for anything that could post a threat." Smith looked at a system map on one of the monitors. He said, "Good, let me know immediately if anything out of the ordinary happens. Also, get an alert down to the Spartans. I want them back on high alert." Shana replied calmly, "I'll take care of that now. I'll get a message sent to The Twilight and have Commander Bowley relay SPARTAN-53's message."

General Smith walked to the front of the bridge and stared out into space. He said to himself. "What are you Covenant bastards planning?"

Ok, I'll be starting on chapter 19 in a day or two and should hopefully be posted within the next few weeks.


	19. VISIONS

Sorry for the long break inbetween my updates. To make it up to you all I went on a tangent and ended up writing my longest chapter yet for this story. So enjoy!

(CHAPTER 19) VISIONS

A bright orange flash filled the bridge of The Twilight as Commander Bowley watched another Covenant Vessel explode from UNSC attacks the remaining Covenant ships. There numbers were nearly nothing now. Only a handful of ships were left and the Prophets Capitol ship remained. A purple flash on the holo panel appeared and caught Bowley's attention. He turned and saw his A.I., Rika. She said, "Commander, incoming transmition from The Raven." "Show me." He said. Rika disappeared back into her holo panel and Emma's message began to play. Bowley listened as she explained what had just happened at her location and how whatever it was, was heading for there location.

The message ended and Bowley said. "Was there any information tagged to that message?" Rika said, "The only thing they sent with it was just the quick blip of static that was picked up before there systems lost communications and needed resetting. If you give me a minute I can try to piece together what it was that caused it. My guess is a large ship cluster or a large reactor that could have been malfunctioning." "Just get it as quick as you can Rika, because if that's another wave of reinforcements then we have to alert everyone immediately."

Rika held her hands out and a holo image appeared in front of her. The image was blurred and static covered. She said, "From the radio frequencies, this is what I was able to pick up. It's not much, I know but it can at least give us a view of what where dealing with. The object was round. It looked almost like an old fashion UFO from old science fiction movies. Bowley asked, "Can you get me a size reading on this thing?" Rika said, "From the looks of it, I'm guessing a rough estimate of a fifteen to twenty mile diameter." "Fifteen to twenty!?" Bowley questioned. "What kind of ship is that large?" Rika responded, "Unknown Sir, and I don't even know if that's only one ship, it could be a cluster for all we know." Bowley looked back out into space. He said calmly, "I want this image sent out to every ship in the system. We need to let them know what we found and I want everyone on high alert. And make sure this is sent to General Smith." Understood Sir." Rika said calmly.

Eric stood before a mirror in a room he was given to get ready for dinner with Chancellor Izumi. He wanted to make sure he looked his best so he took extra care making sure his uniform looked perfect and all his campaign medals were on straight and in order. He combed his long electric blue hair back and put the hat of his uniform on. He looked at himself in the mirror. "That's about as good as I'm gonna get." He thought to himself. As much as he enjoyed the time away from battle and despite his new mission of protecting the Chancellor and being able to enjoy the time he was spending at the Palace, he was longing to get back out and fight.

He heard a knock at the door. "Come in." He said calmly. The large ornate wooden door opened and Kalder walked in. "Hey, are you about ready?" Eric straightened his hat and said, "Yeah, just about." He quickly straightened one of his medals and walked for the door. Eric walked out into the large hallway with Kalder and said, "Where's Devo?" Kalder said, "He said he would meet us outside the dining hall." The two started walking. Eric said, "Am I the only one who wants to get back out there and fight?" Kalder shrugged, "I want to get back out there to but for now, I'm enjoying the time off." "True," Eric said, "But don't forget we still have to look after the Chancellor." Kalder replied, "I know but we pretty much have everything under control here again. The Covenant are nearly gone and we still have ships coming in for support." "Well, now all we have to do is explain that to the Senators and let them know that everything should be ok here now." Eric said. Kalder looked at him and said, "Why so sarcastic?" Eric looked at him and said, "There still pissed that Eclipse is destroyed and are still blaming the UNSC for this. Izumi is supporting us and that has the Senate leaning in our favor, but only because she's holding there leash. Don't expect them to go so easy on us tonight." Kalder nodded his head lightly and said, "True. We should be ok though. Oh, and by the way, I'm sitting next to Izumi." Eric sighed, "Whatever just promise me that you won't flirt or anything. This is something that we can't afford to fuck up." "Relax," Kalder said. "I'll behave."

Kalder and Eric walked up a large staircase and came to a large door. Eric opened it and it led into a large sitting room. Eric looked around and saw some chairs. He walked over and sat down. He looked at Kalder and said, "I guess we wait here." Kalder shrugged and sat down next to him. He looked at his dress uniform and said, "I don't know about you but I miss being in my armor. It's weird being out of it for this long, especially when where on a mission." Eric Looked at his own uniform and replied, "I guess, but Dr. Halsey wanted us to look presentable when where around the Chancellor." Kalder raised an eyebrow, "I thought girls liked guys in armor?" He said. Eric shrugged, "I thought so to but I guess Dr. Halsey is just old fashioned. Oh well, I like to dress fancy from time to time."

The two heard the door open and saw Devon walk in. "Never on time are you Devo?" He replied, "Hey, I wanted to make sure I looked my best. Now where's the food? I haven't eaten all day." "You gotta wait till we actually get into the Dining hall." Kalder said. Devon replied, "Well let's go in!" "We can't yet." Eric said, "We have to be invited in by the guards." Devon looked down at himself and held his arms out in confusion. "I thought we were guards here now." Eric slapped his hand on his forehead. "Look…, just sit down and wait ok." Devon looked at his watch and said, "I can't sit down! I'm expecting someone." "Who?" Kalder asked. "Don't you worry about who it is and isn't is." Devon said with a smile. "You're the most impossible person to have a conversation with sometimes. You know that right?" Kalder said. Devon smiled and said, "I know, it's one of my redeeming qualities." "What!?" Kalder shot back. "There's nothing redeeming about that!" The two began to argue while Eric sat with his hand over his face. He mumbled, "That's right boys get it all out of your system now, because if you screw this dinner up, I'm killing you both."

Izumi sat in front of her mirror staring at her reflection. Her mind was constantly assaulted with thoughts of her planets safety. The Covenant was now nearly fully repelled from Aurora but something was worrying her. She had seen vid files of many Covenant battles and read numerous documents on there attacks. Why had they completely abandoned there campaign when they had just started? Granted it was something she was grateful for. Eclipse was all but destroyed but it could be rebuilt. She knew this wasn't like the Covenant at all.

She was stirred from her trance when she felt a genteel hand on her shoulder. She saw Anna's reflection in the mirror. Izumi quickly gathered herself and said, "Anna, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Anna gave her warm smile and said, "It's alright. I just wanted to see if you were about ready to head down to dinner." Izumi looked back at her reflection and said quietly, "Yeah, just about." Anna asked, "May I sit down?" Izumi nodded and slid over on her elegant bench in front of her vanity. Anna tucked down her elegant white dress so it wouldn't wrinkle and she sat down. Anna picked up a beautiful aurora stone covered hair clip and put it in Izumi's hair. She said with a smile, "This one's so pretty, and the stones have a lot of green in them so it will match your hair." Izumi went back to her own little world, she quietly replied, "Yeah." Anna quietly asked. "What's wrong? You've been acting strange for the past few days. Is it this war that has you so out of it?" Izumi sighed, "Don't worry about it. It's nothing major." Anna replied, "I know when your lying, Izumi. Don't keep things from me. We've told each other things since we were little girls."

Izumi sighed and said, "It's just… I've been having visions again." "What kind?" Anna asked. Izumi looked at her reflection and said, "I keep seeing something horrible attacking Eclipse." "You mean the invasion that hit us? That's all behind us now though." Anna replied. "No, this is something different." Izumi said. "This is something big. I see something dark and evil firing down onto the ruins of Eclipse. I don't know what it's doing or why but all I know is that I keep seeing the same thing happen over and over, and I keep seeing a lot of the UNSC reinforcements dieing because of this." Anna put her hand on Izumi's back and said, "You shouldn't worry about it to much, I think this war just has you on edge, and I can imagine that all the pressure from the Senators isn't helping much either. You don't have to worry. Now that the Spartan's are here, where safe." Anna smiled and said, "Which reminds me! Thank you again for letting me attend dinner tonight." Izumi smiled and said, "You're my best friend Anna, how could I say no?"

Anna stood up and looked at herself in a large tri fold mirror. She asked, "Do I look ok in this? I want to look my best tonight." Izumi stood up and smirked. "Who do you want to look your best for? One of the Spartan's perhaps?" Anna blushed deeply. "No! I just want to look nice for tonight is all." Izumi smiled and said, "You've attended these dinners before and you never once made this big of a deal about it. So tell me, it's Devon isn't it?" Izumi said with a grin. Anna continued to blush and stumbled over her words. "Ha! I knew it!" Izumi said. Anna shot back, "Well, what about you and Kalder?" Izumi froze. "W-what about it?" Anna smirked and said, "I heard you two had a little run in earlier today. Do I detect a spark?" Izumi blushed and said, "It's not like that! We were just talking." "Right, right." Anna said. Izumi sighed and said, "Look, we can point fingers later, we only have fifteen minutes until we have to get down there." Anna looked at herself in the mirror again. She blushed and timidly asked, "So, you think he'll like the dress?" Izumi laughed to herself. She picked up another aurora stone covered hair clip from her vanity. She clipped it into Anna's hair and said, "He'd be stupid not to."

Izumi ran her hands over her white and silver dress to flatten out any wrinkles. She sighed and said, "I'm not looking forward to meeting with the Senators again. Just because the Covenant are nearly gone doesn't mean that there going to forget about the state Eclipse is in." Anna said calmly, "There was nothing you or any of us could have done. Just like the other colonies, we can't prevent an attack like this. Just like what happened to Reach and Harvest, none of us wanted it to happen but it did. Now all we can do is be thankful that Aurora is safe again." Izumi smiled and said quietly, "Yeah, you're right. I just wish they could all see things that way. Oh well, we shouldn't keep them waiting." Izumi headed for the door with Anna close behind.

Back in the sitting room, Eric heard the door open. He saw a guard walk in. He approached Eric and said, "Master Chief Sir, the reinforcements you sent for are arriving now. Take a look." He motioned towards a window. Eric stood and looked outside. Several Pelicans were landing deploying a mix of both ODST's and Marines. Eric smiled and said, "That'll give this place an extra boost of protection." Eric turned toward the guard and said, "Thank you." He nodded and left.

Eric looked at Devon and Kalder, "Well boys," He said with a grin, "There's no way anything is getting through to this place now." Kalder looked out of the window and said, "Called for a little extra fire power I see." Eric smiled. "Just a tad." They heard the door open again. The three looked over and saw Anna walk in. She stood in the entrance in her stunning white and silver dress. Her hair was clipped back and dangled elegantly over her shoulders. She smiled politely and said, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Devon instantly rushed over and said, "Nothing to be sorry for, and you look beautiful." She blushed deeply. Eric mumbled to Kalder, "Hot damn!" Kalder quickly mumbled back, "Took the words right out of my mouth." Devon linked arms with Anna. He walked over to Eric and Kalder and said, "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to my date." Anna smiled and said, "We've already met but hello again." She led Devon to another door and said, "Follow me to the grand dining hall. We can't be late."

Anna led the three down a long hallway and came to a large ornate double door. Two guards nodded at her and opened the doors. The four stepped through the threshold and into a large dining room. Inside was lit by a huge chandelier that hung over a large table that looked like it could easily seat forty people. At the table stood a large group of Aurora's Senators, all of which were staring right at them. The three snapped to attention when they heard a mans voice say, "Introducing Her Majesty's honored guests, Master Chief Petty Officer's Eric Waldron, Kalder Roel, and Devon Sheesley, and finally, Head Maid of the Imperial Palace, Miss Anna Kuramachi. The Senators gave a light applause as the four descended down a small stair case and approached a row of empty chairs at the large table. Devon pulled out Anna's chair and helped her sit down. Eric took a set next to Devon and Kalder sat next to the empty chair at the head of the table where Izumi would be sitting.

A few minutes later, a man announced, "All arise for the arrival of Chancellor of Aurora. Every one stood and Eric, Kalder, and Devon saluted. At the opposite end of the room a door opened and Izumi walked out. Kalder once again found himself mesmerized by her beauty. Still holding onto his military discipline, he didn't show any facial expression while she entered. Izumi walked over to her seat and sat down. She motioned to her guests and everyone sat down.

She looked at her guests and said, "Thank you all for attending on such short notice. As you all are well aware we have much to discuss about the war tonight and we be given a briefing on Aurora's current situation by honored guests, the UNSC's new Master Chief Petty Officers."

While Izumi talked, servants walked around the large table preparing the guests for there meal, putting decorative napkins on the guests laps and laying out the very fine silverware near the rare hand painted china. The food was brought out and served to each guest. All was finely prepared by the planets finest chefs that were the envy or the finest restaurants in the universe. The three Spartans went through the courses of food and couldn't help but overly enjoy every bite. It was a nice change from what they were used to eating on the Star Ships and on the bases they stayed at. While they ate, Devon kept up lively conversation with Anna. Small things like asking how her day was and what she did for fun. He made sure never to let down on the flirting. Eric meanwhile found himself discussing combat with a Senator who was a former war veteran back before the Covenant was discovered.

The Senator asked him several questions about what it was like being out in the field against countless enemies and getting to fight with all the new vehicles and equipment the UNSC offered. Eric enjoyed the conversation. It felt like the typical conversation of when a grandson would ask his grandfather to tell him about his old Navy days. Kalder and Izumi found themselves glancing at one another but would always quickly avert there eyes. Kalder had never felt more awkward in his life.

After everyone had finished eating, Izumi stood up and said, "I hope you all enjoyed everything. Everyone in the room nodded there heads in approval. Izumi continued, "Now, I think it's time we began discussing our current situation, and how we plan to resolve this." One of the Senators stood and said, "I for one would like to know what is going to be done about rebuilding our capital city?" Izumi calmly said, "With the threat level now very low, we can finish off all that are left and begin forming a reconstruction plan. Eclipse may be the largest city in the system but we have more then enough resources left to rebuild. Granted it will take time to get everything back and running at one hundred percent but I can see Eclipse beginning to function normally again within one years time. Once construction begins on another Power Arch, we'll be able to begin restoring power. Until then, Eclipse's sister city of Solar will have to be used as our main source of income and for power. Plus, Solar's Space Tether will be able to feed us a constant shipment of supplied from cargo vessels."

Another Senator stood. He said harshly, "I have a question for one of the Spartan's." The three looked over waiting to be addressed. The Senator continued, "You, number 45." Chancellor Izumi cut in and said, "Senator, my guest has a name and I expect you to show him respect and not address him in that manner." Eric cracked a small smile at Izumi and said quietly, "It's ok Ma'am. I'm used to being called by my number, no harm done." Izumi nodded lightly and Eric looked back at the Senator. He said, "Yes Sir?" The senator said harshly, "Excuse my ignorance from before." Eric replied, "No harm done." The Senator continued, "It's been brought to our attention that the Covenant Prophet's ship has yet to be destroyed. Can you explain as to why there leader isn't floating dead in space yet?" Eric replied coolly, "With all due respect Senator, I have no say in which ships are attacked and which one's are left. All of those decisions come directly through General Smith. My guess would be is he's planning to have troops board the ship and attempt to capture the Prophet and attempt a peace treaty." The Senator replied, "And what makes you think a Covenant Leader would willingly surrender?" Eric said, "With as much of our fire power as we have pointed at his head right now, my guess would be he's going to run out of options. It will be the only remaining option he will have left, and should he not comply with our offer then he'll be eliminated."

The senator nodded and said, "I see. And if I may, I have one final question." Eric replied coolly, "Go ahead." The senator continued. "Why exactly are you down here when you should be out there eliminating the rest of the threat?" Eric replied, "Myself as well as Spartan's, 69, and 73 are under strict order's to Guard the Chancellor during the closing of this battle." The Senator replied, "The guards at this Palace are more then capable of watching over her. I think it would be wise for you to get back out into battle and let our guards do there job." Eric calmly said, "Just as we have more then enough capable troops in the UNSC to handle the remaining threat as well as the one's that I requested to stand guard here along side your men for extra protection." The Senator finally said, "I see, it's just like Colonel Ackerson said, you Spartan's really don't do anything until Dr. Halsey unhooks your leash." Eric's jaw stiffened and he heard Izumi stand and say, "That's enough Senator! I won't have you treating these soldiers like that! I highly suggest you watch your tone or I'll have you escorted out of my Palace!" The Senator finally said, "Open your eye's Chancellor, clearly these Spartan's have done nothing to stop the destruction of Aurora! All they've done is run around Eclipse and shoot a few Elite's here and Grunt's there along the way. What have they done to truly stop the Covenant? Colonel Ackerson was right when he said the Spartan's are taking all of the glory from the REAL Soldiers of the UNSC." Devon stood and shouted, "Colonel Ackerson could never do what we do. Compared to our military records and what we have accomplished he could never amount to our success in the Military!" Eric put his hand on Devon's shoulder. Devon looked up and saw Eric looking at him with stiffened brows as if to tell him to simply shut the hell up. Devon sighed and sat back down. Anna patted her hand lightly on his shoulder and said quietly, "Don't worry, that guy's a prick to begin with."

Eric calmly replied, "With all respect Senator, in the short amount of time that we've been fighting on Aurora, I think it's more then fair to say that we did manage to make a difference until the reinforcements arrived. For three separated soldiers in a city as large as Eclipse, I think we faired pretty well in our attempts at stopping the Covenant. No one should be pointing fingers at anyone right now. Clearly we need to be worrying about eliminating the last of the Covenant threat and seeing that our Chancellor remains in safe hands. And as for Colonel Ackerson, I don't know what he's told you but he is a man that never supported the SPARTAN-II Project to begin with. As far as my division is concerned, his word means nothing." The Senator harshly said, "I understand." And he sat down. Eric sat down as well. The discussion continued for several hours. In that time, several arguments and countless people blaming one another for the current situation occurred. It was to be expected, Aurora was at the final length of a war and everyone was just now beginning to get back on there feet. Izumi finally ended the evening's events by saying, "I know the times right now seem dark and that we feel at a loss for our capital. But I have faith that we'll be able to get back on our feet with the help of ALL of the UNSC's troops as well as with our own efforts. Please know that we will recover from this and that the Covenant wont dare attempt another attack on this world ever again." The Senators as well as the three Spartan's applauded as Izumi thanked all of her guests and left the room."

Eric, Devon and Kalder stood and walked with Anna to leave the dining hall. None of them said anything. To each of the Spartan's, knowing that they were being blamed and accused of doing no good for this war was a major blow to there ego's. Still, they knew that they could do good in this war and they weren't going to let this set back stop them. They all headed up the stairs to exit the dining hall.

Two of the servants opened to doors as they approached. The four left the dining hall and headed back into the halls of the Palace. "I think that went pretty well." Eric said to Kalder. Kalder shrugged and said, "I don't know, those Senators still aren't that thrilled about Eclipse, especially that one who's siding with that douche, Ackerson." Eric rolled his eyes. "Fuck Ackerson. He'll hate us no matter what we do." Kalder smirked then asked, "Well, what about the rest of the Senators who are against the rest of the UNSC right now?" Eric shrugged and said, "Well they can blame the UNSC all they want, we did all we could. There lucky we were here when the attack started our Aurora or it could have been a total loss. And besides, Izumi has them all wrapped around her finger. As long as she's in charge they all have to follow her word." Kalder looked out one of the large windows as he walked. The remains of Eclipse's skyline could be seen in the late evening sky. Kalder said, "Well at least where back in control here. Word is from what I've been hearing; Commander Bowley and General Smith have taken care of nearly every Covenant ship left. I say within the next twenty four hours we'll be back in complete control." Eric smiled and said, "I hope, I need some rest, I haven't slept at all in the past three days."

Devon walked out with Anna. The two walked with arms linked and chatting quietly. Eric mumbled to Kalder, "And speaking of sleeping, I know what those two are going to be doing together tonight." Kalder laughed to himself. Devon stopped and said quietly, "Thank you for coming with me tonight. I'm glad I had a chance to spend some time with you again before I had to leave." Anna for once didn't have a smile on her face. She sighed and said, "I wish you didn't have to go back to battle. I wish you could stay here with me for a while." Devon said, "It's my job. And not one I can get out of that easily." He smiled and knelt down. He wrapped his arms around Anna and said, "Don't think you can get rid of me that easy. I get time off every now and then, and I can come visit you every once and a while. Who knows, I may be assigned to guard you and the Chancellor again someday." Anna smiled returned his hug. In a shaky voice she said, "I'd like that." Devon pulled out of the hug and said, "If I may ask Miss, Would you escort me and my squad one last time?" Anna smiled and said quietly, "Sure."

Eric's small ear piece radio beeped. He said, "Speak of the devil, that should be the word from Command relieving us of duty." He pressed the small button on the device and said, "SPARTAN-45." A voice from Command said, "Sir, I'm calling in to give you your next orders." Eric mumbled to himself. "Figures, I just had to say it." He sighed and said, "Go ahead." The man said, "Your new orders are to guard the Chancellor over night." Eric was confused, he asked, "If I may ask, why are we being put on more guard duty? There's no threat remaining here, I made sure of that." The man replied, "I'm sorry Sir, there direct orders from General Smith." Eric paused and thought for a second. He then said calmly, "Understood, out."

"What's wrong?" Devon asked. Eric said quietly, "Something's up, and what ever it is it's got the UNSC ships back on alert, otherwise we wouldn't be doing another protection mission for the Chancellor." "More reinforcement's maybe?" Kalder asked. "I don't know," Eric said "but I need to talk to General Smith." Eric looked at Anna and said, "Anna, could you please take us to the Security Center?" She gave her usual warm smile and said, "Of course, please follow me." She lead the three Spartan's, completely oblivious to there worries of another possible attack.

As they walked, Eric tried to think of possible reasons for this new assignment. He was thinking of every possible way around another Covenant attack. Still, he knew that the UNSC only took extra precautions of Planetary Rulers when the threat of an attack was imminent. "Do you think the Covenant are gonna try something again?" Devon asked. Eric replied as he thought, "Why else would we be kept here to guard Izumi?" Devon relied, "Because they know that three Spartan's is a guarantee of her safety." Eric nodded and said, "True, we are amazing aren't we. But still, normal guards can handle this, especially with all of the Covenant nearly gone. And if this order came from General Smith, then I know that means something's up. When we get to the Security Center we can contact him and find out what's going on."

Anna led the three back to the armored doors of the Security Center. She typed a code on a small key pad and the metal doors slid open. The two guards at the next set of doors saw her walking with the three Spartan's. The one guard laughed and said, "Brought some body guards with you today Miss Anna?" She laughed to herself and said, "Kind of, they need into the Center." The guard nodded and opened the large metal door." As they walked in, Devon said, "Hey yeah, since when did they decide we should be body guards? I don't know about you two but I miss being in my armor." Eric replied quietly, "Don't worry, where gonna find out what's going on and then hopefully we can be out of here and back on the field."

Eric walked into the dimly lit security room and saw Security Head, Mark Wallace looking over some paper work. "He walked in and said, "Wallace, is it ok if I use your surface to ship COM?" Wallace nodded and said, "Of course." Eric continued, "If it's ok with you, I would like to make a private call to General Smith to discuss UNSC matters." Wallace nodded and said, "I understand, I'll make sure no one disturbs you." Wallace walked out of the room along with Anna, Kalder and Devon. Eric sat down in front of a monitor. He started typing codes in and going through security systems to try and establish a link with The Raven. He mumbled to himself, "God, I wish Yuna was here, this is her thing, not mine." He eventually established a link and said, "SPARTAN-45 calling The Raven, over." A few seconds later General Smith responded. "This is General Smith. Go ahead 45." Eric said, "Sir, with all due respect, why are we being put back on guard duty? And please don't try to make excuses because I know something's up." "Smith said, "I understand, you have a right to know this. I'm having Shana send an image down to your location, it will be immediately deleted once you see it." "Understood." Eric said.

A small monitor beside him flashed and an image appeared. It was fuzzy and distorted. Eric adjusted several knobs to try and make the picture clearer. When he focused the image the best he could he asked quietly, "What am I looking at General?" Smith replied quietly, "Unknown. Emma sent me a message talking about a major blip they had in there radar systems over Hydrus. This image is of a split second blip in our communications from a large Slip Space rupture." "But it's impossible to get an image from Slip Space Sir." Eric protested. "I know this," Smith said, "But whatever it is that's going through Slip Space was large enough to interfere with our communications. From what we've been able to piece together, we think whatever it is has either a faulty reactor and is causing this anomaly, or a large ship cluster. However, Commander Bowley thinks it's one large craft." Eric said, "But for a ship to even show up like that, it would have to be massive, at least ten miles long." "I know." Smith said, "That's why I'm putting the three of you back on guard duty. If this is another attack heading our way then I know the Chancellor will have a better chance of survival if you three are watching over her. I don't want this information getting out until it is confirmed, the last thing we need is for a war torn planet to go back into a panic so just keep this between you three Spartan's and the Chancellor only." "I understand." Eric said. "Keep me posted General if you find anything else." Smith replied, "Will do Son."

The COM channel filled with static and the image disappeared. Eric stood and headed back out into the security room. Devon and Kalder walked up to him and said, "So, what's going on?" Eric made sure no one was within earshot other then the group. He said, "We may have a problem." "What is it?" Kalder asked. Eric quietly said, "General Smith sent me an image and some information on another possible attack." "What!? How big?" Devon said. A few guards looked over when Devon shouted. "Would you keep it down!" Eric said. "Look, we need to find a better place to discuss this. Lets go back out into the hall." Eric led the group back outside. The armored doors shut behind them and the three stood in a quiet hallway. Eric continued, "Ok, he sent me an image of either a really large ship cluster or it's just one large ship. Either way, it's bringing the pain and where in its path and he wants us to be near the Chancellor incase something happens." Devon said, "I don't know about the rest of you but if something big is about to go down, I want my weapons, my A.I., and my armor!" Eric said, "We'll radio to Command and see if they can send them out to us but until then where under strict order to guard the Chancellor. That brings me to my next point." Eric looked at Anna who had politely been trying to stay out of there conversation. Eric said "Anna, I need you to do something very important for us." She smiled willingly and said, "Of course, any way I can help I'll be glad to." Eric smiled and said, "Good, I need you to tell the Chancellor to contact General Smith immediately. And to make sure she's in a private and secure area when she contacts him. Make sure you tell no one other then the Chancellor what I just told you, understood." Anna, trying to be military, gave a salute and said, "Understood, I'll let her know right away." And with that she turned and headed up the stairs towards the Chancellors room.

"What now?" Kalder asked. Eric hit a button on the wall. He said, "Now! We guard the Chancellor." A patrician in the wall opened and a rack of UNSC grade Battle Rifles popped out. Eric grabbed one and fed a fresh clip into it and pulled the bolt. He grabbed two extra clips and said, "Lock and load boys."

Later that night, there new assignment began. They took separate shifts guarding the entrance to the Chancellors room while she slept. Eric stood with the Battle Rifle resting on his shoulder. The palace was dead silent at night. Almost eerily quiet. The only time a sound was heard was when the small decorative clock on the table next to him would chime its small bell when the hour changed. Eric was assigned to guard from eleven PM until three AM when Kalder would take over. Until then, the rest of his squad was catching up on some much needed sleep. His shift was uneventful. Nothing happened and the only time that made him jump was when he heard a small groan coming from Izumi's room. He quickly cracked the door open only to discover her merely groaning in her sleep.

The small decorative clock beside him chimed three and right on the dot, Kalder showed up. Eric said, "Welcome to your easiest assignment ever! Now I've got to get out of this dress uniform, it looks great but it gets uncomfortable after a while." Kalder smiled, "Your telling me, I got out of mine to sleep for a few hours and woke up to be thrown back in it. I miss my armor." He sighed. Eric laughed a little and said, "Have a good one Kalder, I'm going to pass out for a few hours." With that, Eric rounded a corner out of sight and Kalder began his shift.

Again, nothing happened. The first hour seemed to drag. He even found time to make adjustments to his new Battle Rifle and he even managed to get his scope settings to his perfect liking. The small clock next to him chimed four AM. Kalder sighed and said to himself. "She's lucky she's good looking or I'd reject this assignment." Another half hour passed and Kalder began to nod off. He leaned his back against the wall and couldn't help but drift in and out of consciousness.

In his half conscious state, he heard a yell and he shot back to reality. He quickly flipped the safety off on his Battle Rifle and triggered a switch on a device that would alert Devon and Eric of trouble. He opened the Chancellors door. Thinking an intruder was in the room with her he yelled, "Don't go near her!" He quickly surveyed the room and saw no one. He then noticed Izumi. She was tossing and turning in her bed and yelling out in her sleep. He thought to himself, "Thank god, she's just having a bad dream." He went over to her and shook her lightly to wake her up. "Izumi, wake up." She quickly stirred and looked around the room. Kalder set his hand on her shoulder and said, "Its ok, you're safe. You must have had a nightmare." Still slightly disoriented, she said, "Kalder, no, it was something else, a vision." "A vision?" Kalder asked.

Izumi slowly slid out of her bed and stood. She walked over to the doors leading to her balcony. She opened them and stepped outside. She said, "Come out here Kalder, I want to show you something." Kalder flipped the safety of his rifle back on and slung the weapon over his shoulder. He walked over to the doors leading onto the balcony. He pushed the long silk curtains aside and stepped out. What he saw stunned him. Aurora's two large moons were nearly perfectly aligned. While he looked at the moons he heard Izumi say, "Isn't it beautiful Kalder? It's a rare sight that I'll only get to see once in my entire life." Kalder nodded. "It is. I don't think I've ever seen a lunar eclipse like this before in my life." Kalder felt Izumi wrap her arms around his torso. He looked down at her and she said, "Hold me. I want to remember this moment, like it is now." Kalder didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around her and held his dream girl.

Eric and Devon made it to Izumi's room with there weapons at the ready. Eric rushed to the threshold of the door and stopped. He saw there moonlit silhouette in the curtains and realized everything was ok. Devon rushed up behind him and said, "What gives? Go in!" Eric slammed his hand against Devon's chest and pushed him back. Eric said, "It's ok, Kalder's got this one. Let's wait out here."

Silver moon light baithed Kalder and Izumi as the two stood and gazed at the moons as the colorful aurora borealis danced in the night sky. Izumi closed her eyes and sighed. "What's wrong?" Kalder asked. Izumi quietly said, "I hope all of this is just a bad dream." Kalder asked quietly, "Hope all of what is a bad dream, this war?" "No," Izumi said softly, not taking her gaze away from the two moons. "These vision's I keep having." Kalder quickly remembered Eric telling him that Izumi was a Seeres and that she could see visions of what was to come. He asked, "What have you been seeing? Another Covenant attack on Aurora?" She replied, "It's hard to say. I've been having nightmares about it for a few days now. About the same time this war started here. It's a hazy image. All I can see in it is Eclipse is suffering more then it already has in this war. And there's a large object in the sky, I can never see what it is, I hope I never have to." Kalder thought, "A large object?" He looked at Izumi, "Do you remember at all what it looked like?" She said, "It was fuzzy but from what I remember it was round and had the purple sheen of a Covenant ship." Kalder instantly remember what General Smith had shown Eric earlier that day. He said, "That sound a lot like the object that General Smith was telling us about from reports he received from another Spartan. You don't think they could be connected do you?" Izumi's eyes widened. She said in an almost panic, "You have to get Eric and Devon and meet me near the northern tower!" Kalder was confused, "I don't understand, what for?" She quickly said, "I think you're right, they might be connected. I have to know for sure so just wait for me there." Kalder nodded and headed back out into the hall to meet up with Eric and Devon.

Outside he saw Eric and Devon who where both very groggy. "So what's up?" Devon said as he yawned. Kalder said, "I don't know but Izumi said we had to meet her at the base of the northern tower." "What for?" Eric asked. "I don't know." Kalder said, "She seemed kind of panicked so it must be important." "Alright," Eric said, "Let me grab my Uniform on the way and we'll head up."

The three Spartan's made there quick stops at there rooms to quickly throw there uniforms on and then they double timed it up to the northern tower. When they arrived, they saw Anna waiting for them. Eric said, "Anna, what's going on?" She said, "Izumi is having her visions again, she thinks this is a bad one." Eric nodded and said, "Where is she?" Anna replied, "She's at the Reflecting Pool, follow me." Anna led them into an elevator that took them to the top of a massive spire on the Palace. The doors parted revealing a walkway that led between the main structure of the Palace and a tower that stood thousands of feet off the ground.

They walked across the bridge to the tower and Anna opened a large door that lead into a room with strange text etched into the walls. Most noticeable of all was a large round pool in the center of the room that shimmered with silver moon light. Kalder started to walk over to Izumi who was standing in the shallow water. Anna stopped him. "No!" She said. "You can't disturb her when she's having a vision. Just stand back here with me and wait." The three Spartan's watched as she slowly walked into the center of the pool. Her blue and silver dress floated gracefully on the surface of the water as she stood.

Izumi stood in the center of the pool and held her arms out. The pool began to glow with an intense unseen light. The room filled with the white glow of the pool and the etchings on the wall lit up with a bright light as Izumi stood in the center of it all. "What the hell?" Devon asked. "It's her power." Anna said calmly. "Izumi's family blood line possesses this great power to see the future."

Something caught Eric's eye. He looked out of one of the large windows and saw the two large moons were now perfectly aligned. There slow rotation meant that they would be in total eclipse for at least four hours. Something else changed. The auroras in the sky seemed to warp in shape and form a vortex around the moons. "What the hell?" Eric said. Devon walked over and looked out. He saw the sight and said, "Well that's something you don't see every day." Eric remember his mother telling him about the lunar eclipses on Aurora and he had never known them to behave like this. This was almost other worldly.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of The Raven, General Smith witnessed the eclipse from space. Shana's hologram appeared and Smith said, "You're just in time for the show Shana." She said in a slight panic. "Sir, the anomalies that SPARTAN-51 told us about, I'm detecting them and there heading this way." "What!?" Smith said. He looked at a monitor and saw the strange readings. He shouted, "Alert all ships and ground troops, something big is coming!"

Izumi continued to stand in the pool, baithed in light. Her eyes seemed to glow with the same intense light that filled the pool. While Anna and Kalder watched over Izumi, Eric and Devon kept monitoring the sky. Something else caught Eric's attention. An area of the sky near the palace seemed like it was warping. "What the fuck is going on?" Eric said. Devon looked at the sky as it continued to distort. "I don't know but your planet keeps getting weirder and weirder man."

On the bridge of The Raven, Shana said in a worried voice, "Sir, it's here." General Smith quickly looked out the front viewport of the ship and saw a large distortion over Eclipse.

Something happened. All sound seemed to disappear and the Palace began to shake. "What…" Eric saw Devon's mouth blurt out its usual profanity at the situation but he couldn't hear anything. All sound vanished and everything was silent. The shaking continued and it grew more violent. Suddenly Eric heard Izumi's echoed voice say, "It's here."

The loudest sonic boom Eric had ever heard filled the surrounding area. The sound was so loud it blew out the windows in the room. Devon threw himself on top of Anna to shield her from the glass and from whatever just happened. Eric quickly ran to the door and went outside on the walkway to look at what had just happened. What he saw left him speechless. Right above the palace, the largest ship he had ever seen came out of a Slip Space rupture. It was a large, round, disk shaped craft that had four large points surrounding the center underbelly of the ship. From what he could guess it was easily twenty miles in diameter and probably several miles tall. As it exited its Slip Space rupture, countless Covenant Assault Cruisers and Carriers came with it. Its ear deafening sound didn't quit either. Eric found himself slamming his hands against his ears to keep the sound out. When it finally exited Slip Space the massive ship slowly moved over the Palace. Kalder, Devon, and Anna went out with Eric to see what had just happened. All four were stunned at the sight. Anna grabbed onto Devon for safety and Devon held his arm around her. Eric said, "Get Izumi and then follow me, we have to get her out of here and off this Planet."


	20. ESCAPE

Sorry for the delay with chapter 20. I would have posted it sooner but I finished typing it at 4:30 this morning and didn't feel like proof reading and going through all the steps on Fan Fic to post it, so I'm doing it now.

The battle scenes are starting up again after a small break in the action. I also threw in a small fruity bit for those of you that like fan service. And on that note,

Njoy!

(CHAPTER 20) ESCAPE

The large ship hovered slowly towards the ruins of Eclipse. All three of the Spartan's ear piece radios were instantly filled with chatter and chaos from both Palace Guards and UNSC troops. Eric shouted, "Isolate our radios to private COM." After he quickly changed frequencies he ran back inside to get the Chancellor. The three saw her laying unconscious in the middle of the reflecting pool. Kalder quickly ran in the shimmering water to pull her out. He carefully lifted her up and held her. She groaned and Kalder said, "Izumi, come on, snap out of it! We have to get you out of here!" Her forest green eyes slowly opened and she said in a weak voice, "I should have warned everyone. I saw this coming but I didn't do anything."

An explosion was heard and the Palace shook. Eric yelled, "Kalder! Get her out of here and let's go!" Kalder looked back at Izumi and said, "Don't worry about it; you can't blame yourself for the Covenant deciding to mess with the wrong people." Kalder quickly picked Izumi up in his arms and ran to the others. He found Devon standing next to Anna to keep her calm while Eric radioed into Command. Eric found the right frequency and yelled, "Command! Are you seeing this!?" A Communications Officer said, "Affirmative! We have a visual on the unknown ship and it's heading towards the southern end of Eclipse." Eric said, "Understood, and tell General Smith that we have the Chancellor and are leading her to Evac to Outpost Bravo." The Officer replied, "Affirmative, I'm sending a Pelican to pick you up." The COM cut out and Eric said, "Let's move."

They walked out onto the open air bridge that led away from the spire and back to the Palaces main structure. Eric looked up in the sky. Countless Covenant ships were still exiting slip space and were heading to the down town area. His guess was Escort Ships for that massive craft. Several Covenant Seraph Fighters flew low over the Palace. The Longsword's that were patrolling the Palace skies immediately opened fire on the enemy craft.

Amongst the chaos, the three Spartan's as well as Izumi and Anna started across the bridge. Unsure of any enemies near the Palace, Eric took the lead with Devon and Anna in the middle followed by Kalder and Izumi. Above them, they heard a loud boom. One of the Longsword Fighters had been shot down by two Seraph Fighters. The Longsword spiraled out of control, spewing fire from its left wing. Its path was heading right towards the bridge. Eric yelled, "Hit the dirt!" Devon and Eric put Anna between there bodies to shield her while Kalder did the same with Izumi. The edge of the Longswords wing impacted off of the bridge, taking out a large chunk of the stone floor. The ship tumbled down wildly and impacted against the side of the spire and exploded. Eric and Devon stood up. Devon quickly checked on Anna to make sure she was ok. Eric looked at the bridge and saw a massive chunk of the floor was missing. Only a small narrow slab of walkway and the wall was left. Kalder and Izumi were left stranded on the other side.

"Are you ok?" Eric yelled over. Kalder said, "Where good!" Eric walked over to the edge and said, "Kalder, can you jump this with her?" Kalder looked at the hole. A three meter portion of the floor was missing. He said, "If I had my armor on I could make that no problem but without it, there's no way I could vault both of us over that." Eric said, "This slab that's left still looks sturdy enough to hold weight." Eric looked at Izumi and said, "Chancellor, I know you're probably not much for pulling stunts but you're going to have to hold onto what's left of that wall and carefully come across." Izumi cautiously nudged her way over to the hole. She saw the massive drop below and only a small foot hold for her feet on what was left of the wall of the bridge.

Fear filled her. Heights never sat well with her. She looked at Kalder and said, "I can't! I'll fall!" Kalder said to her calmly. "No you won't. We won't let you fall. I'll make sure you're safe while you cross, trust me." Kalder shouted over to Eric, "You and Devo stand there and help her when she get's close enough. I'll stand back here and help her out as far as I can." Devon said, "You got it."

Izumi looked at Kalder then at the narrow foothold. She breathed in deeply and said to Kalder, "Please don't let me fall." Kalder said, "You have my word, and if you fall, I'm diving after you." Izumi forced a smile and slowly placed her foot onto the narrow ledge. Kalder held his hand on her back as she started to move across. He reached out as far as he could before he couldn't reach anymore. On the other side, Devon, Eric, and Anna coached her across. "You're doing great Izumi!" Devon said. "We got yah!" Eric added.

She was almost an arm's length away from Eric's hand. Another explosion rocked the Palace. The shaking broke loose a slab of floor that Izumi was standing on. She lost her footing and started to fall. She yelled in fear and quickly grabbed onto the ledge she had been standing on. Eric quickly dove down to the floor with his hand held out. He yelled to Devon, "Hold my feet and slide me out as far as you can!" Eric inched his way closer to Izumi, he calmly said, "Hang on Izumi! I got you!" She yelled in fear, "Hurry! I can't hold on!" Kalder yelled down, "Don't you dare let go! We swore to protect you and if you fall, then we fall with you!" Eric was within a foot of her hand. He said to Devon, "A little further!" Devon protested, "I can't let you down any further or where both gonna fall!" Eric frowned and said, "Izumi, you're gonna have to grab my hand! Just try and vault yourself to me and I'll catch you!" Izumi argued with fear. "I can't! I'll fall!" "Oh no you won't!" Eric yelled, "Just grab my hand!" Izumi breathed in heavily with fear. She slammed her eyes shut and forced herself to grab for Eric's hand. The leap from the stone slab to the feel of a hand felt like an eternity. She sighed with relief when she felt Eric's hand grab onto hers. "Got her! Pull us up!" Devon pulled Eric up by the ankles enough so he could get on his knees and pull Izumi up. He quickly pulled her up onto the floor and she was immediately in Anna's arms.

A rumble was heard as the large spire they had been on began to crumble. Kalder yelled over, "The towers breaking!" Eric and Devon looked over and saw the massive base of the spire crack and crumble from the impact of the downed Longsword. "Come on, jump!" Devon yelled. The floor beneath Kalder began to crack and crumble. He yelled back, "You better catch me!"

Kalder took a few steps back and leapt over the gap just as the spire collapsed into a cloud of rubble. He leapt through the air but landed just a bit too short and he struggled for balance. Devon quickly grabbed Kalder's hand. While Kalder was still leaning back over the gap, Devon said with a smile, "Hey! Remember that time on Reach? Now where even, right?" Kalder yelled, "Whatever jackass, just pull me up!" Devon cracked another smile and pulled him up. Kalder regained his balance and ran to Izumi. She was upset and quickly latched onto him. She uttered out, "I thought I was going to die." Kalder calmly told her, "I would never let that happen. Death will have to get through me if it wants you." Eric brushed the dust off of his uniform and said, "Anna, can you show us the fastest way to the Palace entrance." "Of course." She said seriously."

The group ran back inside and boarded the elevator and descended back down to the Palace floor. The elevator stopped and the doors parted. Eric and Devon took point and headed back out. Eric's COM clicked with static and he heard a panicked guard yell, "Covenant are attempting to enter the Palace! There ships killed nearly all of the UNSC troops!" Eric yelled out, "What!? How could they kill nearly two hundred troops that fast!?" Devon ran to a window and looked out. He said, "That's how!" Eric ran over and looked out. In the Palace court yard, a Scarab had been deployed. Eric said slowly, "You have got to be kidding me!" Kalder said, "How are we supposed to take it out? We don't have the right weapons for something like this!" Eric frowned and nodded his head. He uttered out. "I am not putting up with this bull shit! You want this Scarab down? I'll make sure it goes down!" Eric quickly opened his COM channel to The Raven. He said, "General Smith, come in!" A few seconds later he replied, "Go ahead!" Eric said, "Sir, I know you're probably busy as hell right now but we really need you to target the Palace's court yard with your MAC Cannon's!" "What for!?" Smith argued. Eric said, "We have a Scarab attacking the Palace and where trying to Evac the Chancellor!" Smith immediately responded, "I'll personally press the button myself. Beginning MAC charge phase. You'll have a dead scarab shortly." The COM cut.

Eric and the other's looked out of the window. The seconds ticked by. The scarab charged its plasma cannon and fired at the palace. The building shook from the impact. "Come on Smith, hit the damn thing!" A few seconds later, Smith radioed back saying, "I'd take cover if I were you!" "Kill the bastard." Eric replied. "Launching." Almost instantly, the large MAC round flew down from the sky and impacted dead center in the Scarab's large body. It impacted with a bright plasma blue and exploded violently. The impact of the large MAC round shook the Palace with the force of a large earth quake. Windows could be heard shattering and the sound of crumbling walls echoed through the halls. Devon yelled, "Look out!" As a large section of the ceiling crashed down to the floor.

Dust filled the room. Eric coughed and said, "Are you guys alright?" The dust cleared and he looked around, Devon and Anna stood next to him but Kalder and Izumi couldn't be found. From the other side of the debris he could hear Kalder saying, "Where ok, but we can't get through. There's another hall leading down several levels so we can meet up on the lower floors." Eric said back, "Ok, you guys watch yourselves and we'll meet back up with you as soon as we can." "You got it." Kalder said as he and Izumi headed down to the lower floors.

Anna quietly told Devon and Eric, "Follow me, I'll take us to where we can meet up with them." Anna led them to a door that took them to a long hallway. As they walked a Marine radioed in. "We can't hold them back! There making it into the Palace!" "Shit!" Eric growled. He said to Devon, "Be on your guard and make sure nothing sneaks up on us now, and Anna, stay close to us no matter what!" She nodded quietly. "I will." Eric radioed into Kalder, "You hear that? Our little friends are back and are trying to find us." Kalder said, "I know. It's pretty quiet at our location. Where heading down to the lower levels now so we should be able to meet up with some extra fire power soon." Eric replied, "Just be careful, if those Covenant bastards are sneaking around here they could jump out at you from anywhere." "Understood." Kalder said as he cut the COM.

It was nerve wracking. Outside, gunfire crackled through the air and ships flew over head but inside the palace seemed empty. Eric and Devon knew the Covenant where in here but for them not knowing where they were made them feel horribly uneasy. As the three walked, Devon said, "Hey, I know we were told never to rely on technology in battle, but I'm really missing my motion tracker right now." "Tell me about it." Eric said as continued to scout the area. Suddenly, the three heard screams and the whine of Plasma weapons. "Speak of the devil!" Eric said as he ran towards the source. The sound emanated from a stair case leading down to a large open air room. Eric looked at Devon and yelled, "Get Anna out of here! I can handle this!" Eric sprinted down towards the stairs. Devon yelled back, "Don't do anything stupid!" Eric yelled, "I'm already running into battle with no armor aren't I?" Anna looked at Devon, "Aren't we going with him?" Devon said, "No, we're not taking you anywhere near a gun battle. We need to get you and Izumi to safety." Anna nodded and said, "Eric is heading towards one of the lounges, we should be able to meet back up with him further on ahead." Devon nodded and said, "Alright, let's keep going."

Eric ran full tilt down the stairs and came to a balcony over looking an elegant looking sitting room. Inside he saw three of the Palace's Maid's pinned against a wall. Chasing them was a blue armored Elite and three Grunts. The three young girls hid themselves in fear as the Elite approached. It approached one of the three Maid's and said, "The one they Chancellor, where is she?" The girl's voice shook in fear, "I don't know where she is!" The Elite grabbed the girl by the throat and lifted her off the ground while the other two girls yelled in fear. The Elite said in its harsh voice, "You had better give me a better answer or I shall end your life!" Eric said under his breath, "Oh I doubt that!" He sprinted forward and leapt over the banister on the balcony with his Battle Rifle held high above his head. He landed hard on the ground and brought the butt end of his Rifle down on the back of the Elite's skull. The alien grunted as it fell limp and died. He quickly spun and killed the three Grunts with precise shots from his Battle Rifle. The two Maid's instantly went to there friends aid to see if she was ok. Eric turned to face the young women. He knelt down and said, "Are you all ok?" The one girl rubbed her throat and brushed her long fire red hair out of her face. She said quietly, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you so much for that." Eric replied calmly, "Don't worry about it, we have to get out of here." Eric stood and helped the girls to there feet. He towered over all three of them. He looked down at them and said, "Can you show me the way to the main entrance?" The one Maid replied, "Of course." Eric said, "Alright, we have to go. All of you stay behind me." Eric looked at the girl he had just saved, he calmly asked, "I need you to stay close to me and show me which way to go, Miss…?" She replied, "Kousaka. Konomi Kousaka." Eric replied as he fed a fresh clip into his Rifle, "Well Miss. Kousaka, shall we?" She nodded and said, "Of course, please follow me."

They started walking. Eric opened his COM to Devon and Kalder and said, "I just had a run in with an Elite, I have three civilians and I'm taking them to Evac. Also, keep on high alert because there looking for the Chancellor." Kalder replied back, "Are you kidding?" Eric rolled his eyes and said, "Yes Kalder I am kidding, No! you tard there after her!" "Since when do the Covenant take prisoners?" Devon asked. "She's a planetary ruler, my guess is they want her for something else." Kalder said, "I'll keep my guard up, I'm not letting anything get near her." "Good," Eric said, "I'm making my way towards the main entrance now, I'll meet you all there." "Understood." Devon said, and the COM cut out. Konomi looked at Eric and said, "Having a small argument?" Eric sighed and said, "No, just the usual talk with my squad." "She nodded and said, "I see." Eric shook his head and said, "Yeah, you get used to it."

Kalder and Izumi cautiously made there way through the palace halls. Kalder had not seen any Covenant forces yet and he wanted to keep it that way. He walked at a steady pace with his Battle Rifle at the ready and making sure Izumi was close by his side. Izumi said quietly, "There's a flight of stairs up ahead that will lead us down towards the main entrance. Once we're there we'll be able to meet back up with the others." Kalder, not taking his focus off his surroundings replied, "Alright, just keep close to me. I don't want anything getting near you." She replied calmly, "You don't need to worry about me. Just because I'm Chancellor doesn't mean I can't hold my own against…" "Get down!" Kalder yelled as the doors ahead were blown off there hinges. Almost instantly, two neon green beams of plasma sailed towards him. Kalder instantly threw himself on top of Izumi to shield her. The beams of plasma singed past his back, charring the back of his uniform coat and blistering his skin. He pushed aside the pain and looked up.

Two Hunters stomped into the room. Kalder quickly stood and said, "Izumi, get out of here!" She argued back, "No! I'm not leaving you alone with those things!" Kalder yelled back, "Don't argue just go!" He charged out towards the opposite side of the room to draw the fire away from Izumi and to him. He fired several rounds from his Battle Rifle to the neck area of the Hunters armor. It was one of the few exposed areas of the front of a Hunters armor that he could get a clear shot on. The massive alien grunted in pain and charged its fuel rod cannon. Another green beam of plasma shot at him. He quickly rolled out of the way and dodged it.

Kalder quickly stood and charged at the armored titan. He popped off several rounds into its exposed abdomen making the alien buckle over. He noticed it was disoriented. He had a chance to charge up to it and shoot a round into its throat and kill it. Right as Kalder neared the Hunter, it regained its footing and whipped its large arm shield and smacked it against Kalder's unarmored body. He grunted in pain as he felt the wind get knocked out of him and he fell to the floor. He saw his pistol slide across the floor and out of his reach. Kalder struggled to refill his lungs. He tasted copper and felt blood trickle down his lip. He saw the hunter approach him and raise its massive boot over his head. He knew what was coming. The Hunter was going to crush him. In the background he heard Izumi screaming out his name. Still disoriented, everything seemed to move in slow motion. He saw the boot begin to come down. His adrenaline spiked and he quickly rolled away and behind the Hunter as its boot crashed down, cracking the floor below it. Kalder quickly pulled up his Battle Rifle and popped off several well placed shots into the Hunters back. It roared in pain and fell limp to the ground.

Meanwhile the other Hunter, hearing Izumi's screams began to charge at her. Kalder quickly got on one knee and shot two, three round bursts into the aliens back. It quickly turned and saw Kalder. It roared and charged. Kalder shot the remaining several round from his Battle Rifle at the alien. His rifle clicked and its ammo counter read 00. "Shit!" Kalder yelled out as he reached for his side arm. His heart skipped a beat when he couldn't find it, then he remember it had come loose earlier in the battle. With no way to defend himself and without his MJOLNIR armor, Kalder readied himself for the inevitable. The Hunter quickly grabbed Kalder by the throat with its massive hand and lifted him high above its head. He felt the Hunter begin to squeeze his throat. As Kalder felt himself being crushed, he heard six loud bangs and felt the Hunter's grip loosen. The alien collapsed to the floor and its orange blood pooled around its body. Kalder staggered to his feet and looked up. He saw Izumi standing holding his pistol with the barrel smoking. She said in a monotone voice. "I told you I know how to hold my own." Kalder walked over Izumi. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "You have no idea how good it makes me feel that you know how to handle a gun!" Izumi cracked a smile, "You can't expect a ruler of a planet to be defenseless now can you?" Kalder sighed and said, "Just don't tell the other two about this." Izumi smiled and said, "Ha! Don't want your ego bruised?" Kalder started walking again. "Yeah, something like that."

Devon and Anna weren't having much luck on there stealth efforts. Despite them trying to sneak there way to the main entrance of the palace, they had a platoon of Covenant troops not far behind them. They had taken there pace up to a run, trying to stay ahead of the enemy without engaging them. They stopped at a cross in the hall, a flight of stairs leading down and another hallway continuing on ahead. "Which way?" Devon asked. Anna tried to remember where exactly the paths lead. She ordinarily knew this palace like the back of her hand but because of all the chaos, she was left shaken. She said, "Those stairs will take us in the opposite direction, we need to keep heading down this hall." "Are you sure?" Devon asked. Anna nodded and said, "I'm pretty sure." From behind them, they heard the roar of an Elite and the whine of plasma weapons. Devon picked up Anna in his arms, started running again and said, "I hope your directions are on the money because we can't stick around to figure this out."

From behind, the Covenant troops were closing in and firing at them. Devon felt a sharp impact on his left shoulder. He saw his blood splash and saw Anna jump when a few splatters of his blood landed on her cheeks. He grunted in pain and staggered. He had been hit by a Carbine round. Anna gasped and asked frantically, "Devon! Are you alright!?" He regained his footing and kept running. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch." He shoved the burning pain aside and kept running. Another round from a Beam Rifle shot past his neck. He felt the heat sail past him and felt his skin blister. "Whoa that was close!" He said as he ran.

They ran through the threshold of a large door leading into a long hallway lined with beautiful hand made stained glass windows. Devon kicked it shut with his boot and locked it down. He had to rest for a second. His shoulder was throbbing and he felt his blood seeping down his back. Breathing heavily, he opened his COM to Eric. He radioed in saying, "Eric, I'm being pursued by a platoon of Covenant forces. One Elite and about five Grunts." Eric called back saying, "Can you hold out until we meet back up? There's no way I can make it to your location right now. I'm escorting several of the Palace Maid's to safety and lord knows where probably far apart." Devon grinned his teeth in pain and uttered out, "Yeah, I took a hit to the shoulder and it's slowing me down a bit." Eric called back, "You're gonna have to push that pain aside and keep moving, me and Kalder are just about to the main entrance and are awaiting Evac." Devon said, "I'm moving as fast as I can. Oh I'm fine by the way, thanks for the concern! I'll be there ASAP providing I don't pass out from blood loss." He cut the COM and asked Anna, "How much further?" Anna said, "If we can make it to the end of this hall, we can head down one of the elevators that will take us right next to the main entrance." "Good." Devon said as he listened to the door behind him. He heard the sounds of an Elite calling out orders to its platoon. Devon said to Anna, "Do me a favor Sweet's, hold this." Devon handed Anna his Battle Rifle. Anna's eye's widened as she held the weapon. She asked, "Why do you need me to hold this? Aren't you going to be needing it?" Devon heard a hiss on the other side of the door. He quickly said, "Nope, I'll be to busy running." Anna was confused, she asked, "What do you mean?" Devon quickly threw himself over Anna and shielded her with his body. "This is why!" He said as the door behind him exploded. A flash of a plasma grenade filled the hallway. The sudden explosion and resulting concussion shattered several of the stained glass windows and nearly blew Devon off his feet. He shook it off and instantly stood and sprinted down the hallway.

He ran full tilt cradling Anna close to his chest. The color of the stained glass windows seemed to blur as he ran. His focus was on escape. Ordinarily he wouldn't have a problem going toe to toe with the Covenant troops behind him but he didn't want to put Anna in harms way. Devon felt two more hits on his back. Two Plasma Pistol rounds slammed into his lower back. It felt like he had been punched full force by another Spartan. He yelled in pain and staggered. Anna yelled out his name. "Don't worry," he said in a shaky voice, "I'm fine!" He quickly spiked his adrenaline and regained his footing.

Anna felt her anger rising. She couldn't stand seeing Devon being hurt, especially when she knew that it was because of her that he had been shot. She frowned and pulled up Devon's Battle Rifle. She positioned herself and opened fire on the enemies behind her. Devon wasn't paying attention and jumped when he heard the rifles report echo through the halls. "Jeez!" He said, "What are you doing!?" Anna said not taking her eyes off the weapons scope, "I'm helping!" Anna shot off another three round burst killing one of the grunts." Devon shook his head and kept running. It was working in their favor so he didn't argue.

He ran through another doorway and found himself in a large circular room lined with stained glass windows and above was a large domed ceiling with an ornate mural painted on it. He saw several door ways leading out of the room. "Which way?" He asked. Anna looked around and said, "The elevator is down the southern hall. Where really close!" Devon heard the sounds of the Covenant troops approaching. He set Anna down and said, "Lemme see my rifle real quick." Anna handed it to him. Devon looked at Anna and said, "Go hide in that corner over there real quick. Anna looked and figured she better not argue. She nodded and went and crouched down in the corner of one of the door thresholds.

Devon walked back over to the entrance he had just come through. He staggered in pain over to the entrance and waited. Anna looked on. She gasped when she saw his back. The back of his uniform was charred with burn holes from plasma weapons and was soaked with his blood. Breathing heavily in pain, he raised his rifle above his head and waited. He heard the hooves of an Elite approach. He readied himself. He saw the Elite cautiously enter the room. The Elite looked at Devon straight in the eye and jumped. Devon grinned and said, "Sup bitch?" He quickly brought the butt end of his Battle Rifle down on the aliens head and disoriented it. He quickly took aim and popped off several rounds into its head, killing its shields. The Elite's purple blood sprayed out from its skull and it fell limp on the ground. Devon heard the remaining Grunts yelp from the sudden attack. He quickly shot around the corner and finished off the remaining troops. Devon quietly uttered, "Suck on that bitches."

He slowly staggered back to Anna. The pain from the gun shots on his back and the loss of blood was getting to him. Anna ran out and caught Devon as he staggered and fell to his knees. Anna frantically said, "We need to get you to a doctor. You're hurt bad!" Devon groaned and said, "It's ok, I just need to catch my breath. Anna argued back, "You're lieing! You're bleeding to death, we need to get you to the medical bay." Devon uttered, "No, we have to get out of here, I still have a mission to complete." A loud explosion was heard outside. The palace walls shook and bit's of rubble fell down from the ceiling. Devon said, "We'll go back to the UNSC base and they can fix me up there. Just help me up and we'll head down to Evac." Anna gave a worried look. She helped Devon to his feet and led him to the elevator. She hit the button and a few moments later the doors opened.

Devon staggered in and flopped to the floor. He leaned his back against the wall and sat still trying to keep himself from loosing more blood then he already had. Anna hit the button for the ground level and the elevator slowly descended. Anna knelt down in front of Devon. She said softly, "Can you lean forward?" Devon said calmly, "Yeah." He groaned and sat up. Anna undid the buttons on his Uniform. Devon asked, "What are you doing?" She said, "I'm taking a look at your wounds, I know how to treat things like this so just let me see them." Devon shrugged and slid out of his coat. Anna set the blood soaked uniform aside and slid the back of his under shirt up. Devon hissed in pain as the fabric brushed against his burns. Anna said calmly, "It's ok." Her eyes widened as she exposed the wounds. Blood was dripping through two fist sized plasma burns on Devon's back. For the most part, the flesh had been cauterized and prevented steady bleeding. She raised his shirt a little more and exposed the Carbine wound on his left shoulder. His rock hard muscle had an inch wide hole in it that was bleeding steadily. Anna asked, "Can you take this shirt off? It will make this much easier." Devon slowly slid his arm out of the blood soaked shirt and tossed it aside.

Anna held her arm out and slid off her arm length maid uniform glove. She wrapped it around his shoulder and made a tourniquet. Devon looked at her and said, "You're going to get blood all over your uniform." Anna replied, "So what. And besides, your blood already splattered on me when you first got this gun shot." Devon managed a small laugh as she did the same with his undershirt for the wounds on his back. He groaned as she tightened the fabric around his wound. "Sorry." She said calmly. As she sat back Devon said, "Don't worry about it. I'll be ok." Anna replied, "There's not much else I can do for you until we get you to the medics." Devon cracked a smile and said, "You're worrying to much, I've had worse." Anna quietly replied, "I don't want to know, this scared me enough." Devon managed a small laugh.

He reached his hand out and put it on Anna's back. He said, "Thanks for helping me." She replied softly, "Of course. It was the least I could do for all you've done for us." Devon looked into Anna's beautiful golden eyes. He said to her, "At the rate this war is going, I might not be around much longer." Anna said, "Don't say things like that! You and the others are going to be the heroes of this war, and I'll be right at your side the whole time." Not breaking his gaze he said. "In case I don't make it out from this, there's one thing I want to do. Can I?" Anna leaned in close and whispered, "How can I say no to this?" "You can't." Devon told her as he pulled her in and kissed her. He gave her a few soft kisses then he poked his tongue at her lips. She eagerly opened her mouth allowing him entrance. They kissed deeply. Anna pulled up Devon's hand and placed it on her chest. Devon lightly squeezed making her gasp lightly. Anna leaned in and whispered. "You're not allowed to die. Do you hear me? Ever since I first saw you, standing in the entrance of this beautiful palace, I knew you were something special. I knew you would be the one to protect me. Spartan or not, Military or civilian, it doesn't matter to me. Just tell me that I can be with you and you'll always be with me." Devon looked at her and said, "I'm not going to die, not after all of this. And I will be the one to protect you." "Good." Anna said as she kissed him.

Eric was carefully making his way through the Palace with the Maid's. Konomi said, "The entrance is just ahead. Where not far now." Eric nodded and opened his COM." This is SPARTAN-45 requesting immediate Evac from the Imperial Palace. We have the Chancellor and are getting over run with Covenant forces." A few seconds later a Marine replied saying, "On our way Sir. We'll be there ASAP." Eric changed frequencies. "Kalder, Devon, what are your locations?" Kalder said, "Izumi and I are nearly to the main entrance. We'll be heading outside for Evac immediately. We'll be waiting for you there." Devon's weak voice said, "Same, Anna and I are heading down the southern elevator now but, I got hit pretty hard, I'll need some assistance." Eric replied, "Understood. I'll meet up with you there. Kalder, can you hold out until we get there?" He replied, "No problem." Eric said, "Good, see you in a few seconds."

Kalder and Izumi ran down the elegant stairs that they had first seen when they entered the palace. They entered the large room and saw several bodies of dead guards and Covenant soldiers. He calmly told Izumi. "Don't look, just walk past." The palace's large front doors were swung wide open. Kalder cautiously headed towards them and looked outside. He saw the burnt out shell of the destroyed Scarab and countless bodies of dead Marines and Covenant troops. Kalder took Izumi's hand and led her outside. They went down the large steps and stopped on the road leading up to the palace. He radioed in and said, "I'm at the extraction point. No Covenant ground forces detected, only ships flying over head." Eric replied, "Affirmative, I have Devon and Anna and a few other of the Maid's. Where heading outside now." Kalder cut the COM.

Almost out of nowhere, a blue sphere of energy surrounded Izumi. She yelled out and Kalder turned to find her surrounded by blue energy. "Izumi!" He yelled and he punched at the force field. It almost seemed like she was inside a Bubble Shield, only this energy could not be passed though. He said. "Hang on, I'm going to get you out." He instantly opened his COM. "Mayday! The Covenant are after the Chancellor! I repeat, the Covenant are after the Chancellor!" As Kalder punched and kicked at the energy field, he felt something hard slam into his torso. It felt almost like when a Brute's Gravity Hammer goes off to close. He fell to the ground stunned and disoriented. He tried to stand but felt something hard slam down onto the back of his head. He heard Izumi's muffled voice yell out his name. In a daze, out of instinct he put his hand on the back of his head. He pulled his hand back and saw it was covered in blood. He looked up and saw a Brute Chieftain looking down at him. It growled an order. "Apprehend the one they call Chancellor and take her to the Prophet's ship at once! We shall not keep the Higher Arcs waiting!" Kalder uttered out, "If you bastard's lay one finger on her, I'll kill your asses!"

The Brute raised a strange weapon that Kalder had never seen before. The Brute took aim. Kalder instantly thought he was about to be killed. It shot off another round that felt like a sledge hammer being brought down on him. It was a Concussion Rifle. Kalder was nearly knocked out cold. All he could do was watch as the Chieftain threw Izumi over his shoulder and take her into a Phantom. Kalder forced himself to stand. He staggered fell over immediately.

Eric and Devon ran outside as the Phantom's gravity lift disappeared back into the ship. Kalder shakily ran after the Phantom. He yelled out. "Izumi!" The Phantom flew off into the sky. Still in a daze, he pulled out his Battle Rifle and shot wildly at the direction of the Phantom. Eric and Devon reached him. Eric said, "Kalder, what happened!?" Kalder instantly turned and latched his iron strong grip onto Eric's throat, closing off his air way. "You took her from me!" Eric struggled to breath. "Kalder snap out of it!" Devon tried to pull Kalder off of Eric. Kalder swung around and slammed his fist full force into Devon's wounded shoulder. He grunted in pain and fell to the ground. Anna ran towards him. Devon yelled out, "No! Stay back until he snaps out of this!"

Kalder ran Eric full force into a stone wall. Eric grunted as he impacted. Kalder yelled out, "They took her! They left me for dead and fucking took her! I'll kill them all!" Eric yelled out, struggling to breath, "Kalder, snap the fuck out of it! We'll get her back!" Kalder's gaze focused into Eric's eyes. He yelled, "It's your fault! You were supposed to watch my back! And you let them take her!" Kalder pulled out his Pistol and pressed it against Eric's forehead. Eric forced a sarcastic smile and calmly said. "So, you're gonna let them get to you that easy huh, Kalder? They hit you with a stun round and now you're out to kill your team. But you know what man? Even though you're out to kill the world right now, and even though you have this gun pressed against my head, I don't think you have the balls to pull that trigger." Kalder grinned his teeth in anger. Eric frowned and said, "Do it. Kill me and make all of your problems magically vanish, because after all, killing me will bring her back." Kalder's finger hovered over the trigger. With lightning speed, Eric snatched the Pistol with his free hand and kicked Kalder's feet out from under him. He fell hard on the ground and Eric pinned him. Devon ran over to help restrain him. When they had him pinned, Kalder's rage filled and he tried to break free. "I don't think so dude!" Eric said, "Not till you calm your ass down." He continued to fight them. Eric said, "Alright this is getting old. Hey Devo, remember that nasty little trick you used to do to me when we were kids on reach during our hand to hand exercises?" Devon nodded and said, "The shock punch? Yeah." Eric said, "Good, hit him with it!" Devon shrugged and jabbed Kalder in the temple with a hard hit of his knuckles. The sudden impact instantly knocked Kalder out. "I still got it." Devon said. He patted Kalder on the shoulder and said, "No hard feelings when you wake up, ok?"

Eric stood up and said, "SPARTAN-45 to Command. The Chancellor has been captured by Covenant Forces, requesting immediate pick up." General Smith's voice replied, "45 you had damn well better be joking!" Eric paused and replied, "Negative, 73 was overwhelmed by Covenant forces and was nearly killed before we arrived for assistance." "Damnit!" Smith yelled. "In times like this 45, I'd rather one of you were killed then have the Chancellor get captured by of all things the Covenant. As soon as your Evac arrives, get you asses back to Outpost Bravo for a mission report." The COM cut out. Eric frowned. He had failed one of the most important missions ever assigned to him. He had allowed the capture of a planetary ruler. He looked back at Devon and Anna and the remaining Maid's he had escorted to safety. None of them said anything.

A few minutes later, a Pelican quickly flew in and landed. The back hatch opened and two Hell Jumper's awaited them inside. Anna and the three other Maid's climbed on board first, then Eric and Devon carried Kalder's battered, unconscious body on board and laid him on the seats. The back hatch closed and the Pelican lifted off. No one said a word.

A bit of a cliffhanger there. Hope you all enjoyed it. I'll update soon.


	21. MISSION FAILURE

I wanted to get this posted before I head back to College. I'll be making plot notes this week and start writing by Thursday night. You can expect chapter 22 in about 2 weeks. So as usual, until we meet again, enjoy!

(CHAPTER 21) MISSION FAILURE

The skyline of Eclipse grew larger as the Pelican approached the outskirts of the city. Eric sat silent with his arms folded and his eyes closed, Anna was holding pressure on one of the wounds on Devon's back and Kalder still remained unconscious. The pilot's voice came on over the intercom. "We'll be arriving back to Outpost Bravo in about five minutes." Devon looked over at Eric and said, "How do you plan to explain this one to the Committee?" He replied, not moving from his pose, "I don't plan to explain anything to them." What do you mean?" Devon asked. Eric continued, "I plan to tell them exactly how everything happened, and why. I'm not giving Ackerson the satisfaction of thinking we failed due to our own actions. I'm telling them all why this mission went so bad so quickly." Eric opened his COM. He said, "This is SPARTAN-45, requesting a medical team for Spartan's 69 and 73 upon our arrival." A voice replied back, "Understood. A team will be assembled."

The Pelican slowly descended and touched down on a landing pad. The back hatch popped open and Eric slowly stood. He hopped off the back of the Pelican and looked around. UNSC troops were everywhere. All were running around stocking vehicles and moving ammo crates. He turned and helped the three Maid's he had rescued off of the Pelican. Devon carefully hopped off then turned and helped Anna down. He stood hunched over with his hand on his back. A medical team ran up wheeling a stretcher and a large medical bag. One of the medics looked at Eric and said, "Medical team reporting as ordered Sir." Eric nodded and said, "73 needs immediate treatment." Devon cut in and said, "Yeah, and I got a few holes that need filled." The medical team lifted the stretcher into the Pelican and carefully moved Kalder onto it. They instantly rolled him across the base and into the main structure and took him to the medical bay. The remaining medic said to Devon, "Sir, would you like to be escorted into the medical bay?" Devon shook his head, "No thanks, I'll manage my own way in." The medic nodded and headed back inside.

"Didn't feel like getting wheeled in?" Eric asked. Devon said, "Nah, I can still walk so why bother. I've been shot before and you and I both know that this won't be the last time either. Might as well make the best of it incase this is the last time I survive it." Eric cracked a smile. "Alright, you go in and get patched up, I'm going to report in." Eric looked at Anna, he said, "Would you help Devon get to the Medical bay?" She nodded and said, "Of course." She put her hands on Devon's back to help support him. He limped towards the main structure of the base doing his best to hide the pain.

Eric turned towards the three remaining Maid's. He said to Konomi, "You and the others head inside the barracks. There's a shelter set up there for the surviving Palace staff. You'll be safe in there until we can get you onto an Evac ship." She nodded walked up to Eric. She put her hands on his and said, "I can't thank you enough for all you did for us back there." Eric straightened his composure and answered, "I was only doing my job." Konomi said, "Well it's because of your job that we're all still alive." She got quiet for a second then said, "Will you be able to get the Chancellor back?" Eric replied, "Of course, right now she is priority one on our mission objectives. Once we get our armor back where going after her." Konomi closed her eyes and smiled. She slowly bowed her head and said, "I understand, and again, thank you for everything." Eric gave a light smile, he said, "The pleasure was mine Miss." Konomi and the other Maid's turned and headed off for the barracks. Eric watched them walk to make sure they got there safe. He mumbled to himself. "We will get her back."

He slowly turned and walked towards the main structure of the base. He still had to check in and prepare for a mission report with the War Committee which he wasn't looking forward to at all. He walked up to the main gate and was instantly granted access. He stepped inside the dimly lit structure and headed for the elevator. He hit the button for the Command level. He stood with his arms crossed and his back against the wall as the elevator descended. After the short ride he stepped out and walked towards a heavily guarded door. Two ODST's saluted and typed in codes on keypads and the door swung open. Eric walked inside. The room was lined with countless stations of Intelligence Officers watching monitors of the city and constantly sending feedback to troops out in the field. Eric walked up to a station where a man wearing a highly decorated uniform was talking on a phone. The name plate on his desk read UNSC Intelligence Officer, Samuel Bradigans. Eric walked up to the edge of his desk and stood at attention. Bradigans looked up and did a double take when he saw a Spartan standing in front of him. He said over the phone, "I'm gonna have to call you back."

He hung up the phone and Eric said, "SPARTAN-45 reporting in Sir." Bradigans sifted through a large pile of papers on his desk. He pulled out a file that had a large red line stenciled across it. He pulled out a paper and said, "I assume you're here to report in with the War Committee about your recent… mission?" "Yes Sir." Eric said in a cold voice. Everyone in the UNSC was now looking at the Spartan's as failures due to Izumi's capture, and he was in the middle of it all. Bradigans pulled out a piece of paper with three large paragraphs of fine print written on it. He said, "I need you to sign at the bottom. The is to let the War Committee know that you are requesting to meet with them." Eric signed his name at the bottom and then said, "SPARTAN-69 will be joining me as well, but as for SPARTAN-73, I'm not sure due to his injuries." Bradigans placed the piece of paper back in the file and had it sent off. He said, "Understood. You are to report in with the War Committee in exactly ten hours. Until then, you may want to rest up." Eric saluted and headed out the door.

Anna bit her lip as she watched the medics patch Devon up. They had given him an injection to dull the pain and had him hooked up to several I.V. lines and blood bags to restore his lost blood. The reality was that the injection to dull his pain didn't help all that much. Devon lay on his stomach with his eyes shut, squinting his eyelids hard whenever he felt pain and giving slight groans when it hurt a lot more. The Doctor was scraping off the burnt pieces of flesh from Devon's back. As he peeled the burnt skin away he said, "Sir, you're taking this like a champ!" Devon still laying on his face replied in a muffled voice, "Oh you know, not much I can do except grin and bare it." The Doctor pulled out a flesh toned material that was used to quickly rebuild skin in mere hours. He placed it in the wounds on Devon's back and pulled out a large syringe of a special chemical that would activate the material. The sight of the needle made Anna flinch. Getting a shot was tough enough for her but she couldn't imagine getting one like that. Devon sighed. He said, "Is that the shit that burns like hell?" The Doctor tapped the air bubbles out of the large syringe and said, "Unfortunately it is." Devon rolled his eyes and said, "Great!" Anna moved her chair over and put her hand over Devon's. She looked at him and gave him a warm smile. Devon winked at her as the Doctor cleaned the area where he would inject the chemical then said, "Alright Sir, you're going to feel a slight pinch." Devon replied, "I could care less about the slight pinch, it's the horrible burning sensation I feel after the slight pinch that I don't like." The Doctor said, "Then lets get this over with quick." He injected the needle into the outer edge of the burn on Devon's back. Devon let out a loud groan and made his hands into fists. He slammed his eyes shut and uttered out, "Mother of god that sucks!" Anna held her hands over his and said, "It's alright, it's almost over."

The Doctor pulled the needle out and said, "Alright, that's finished. Now you can begin to heal." Devon said still groaning in pain, "Yeah, well when is this shit gonna stop burning and start fixing me!?" The Doctor said, "Give it about ten minutes. Just think of it as hydrogen peroxide, the horrible burning sensation means it's working." "Great!" Devon groaned. The Doctor pulled out a tube of tissue bonding agent and a smaller syringe. He said, "Well lets take your mind off the pain in your back and patch up this gunshot on your shoulder." "Yeah! Lets do that!" Devon said as he buried his face in the hospital bed."

Meanwhile, Eric was heading down a hallway towards Dr. Halsey's office. He wanted to get his armor back and prepare to head back into battle. He walked down a dimly lit hallway lined with heavily secured offices. He found Dr. Halsey's and hit the intercom. "Dr. Halsey, it's number 45, may I come in Ma'am?" He heard her reply. "Of course Eric." A small red light turned to green and the metal door slid open. Dr. Halsey's office was littered with papers and lined with separate computer monitors. He found her sitting behind her desk in her usual white lab coat clacking away on her computer and sipping at her mug of coffee.

Eric walked up to her desk and stood. Dr. Halsey turned and her eyes widened. She looked at Eric's tattered uniform. The long blue and red trench coat was dirty, torn and looked like it had been through hell and back. She adjusted her glasses and said, "Well, I see what everyone was saying was true. That mission really didn't go well for the three of you." Eric sighed and said, "Ma'am, I failed probably the most important mission I was ever assigned. I don't really know what to do now." Dr. Halsey stood and slowly walked around her office. She said, "Eric, from the time I found you when you were little I knew you would be the one that would be trouble. Then I found out that was true when you made friends with Devon and Kalder." She paced slowly back and forth while glancing at computer monitors. "I've seen great things come from the unique blue haired little boy who everyone used to say could never make it in the SPARTAN-II program. I've seen him transform into a fine soldier and do impossible things. You know as well as I do that this is one of those times where you're going to do the impossible, and I know that you and your team will achieve that goal." Eric sighed and said, "Ma'am, I have all of the UNSC against me and my team now because of this failure. How am I supposed to even begin to let them trust me enough to let me carry out this mission to get the Chancellor back?" Dr. Halsey cracked a smile and walked over to Eric. She straightened one of the medals on his tattered uniform and said, "Because, no one in the UNSC can pull the kinds of stunts you can do on missions and emerge victorious." Dr. Halsey turned back towards her desk and said, "And one last thing. Kalder was kind enough to hijack a Phantom the other day, so you already have your ticket inside the Covenant ships for a rescue mission. And no other UNSC troops aside from you Spartan's know your way around Covenant ships better then you already do. I already explained that to Supreme Commander Drake and he agrees. So don't count yourself out just yet."

Eric nodded and said, "Thank you Ma'am." She smiled and said, "Anytime Eric. Oh, and by the way. There's someone waiting for you in your assigned room." Eric asked, "Who?" Dr. Halsey smiled and said, "Go and find out. She's missed you, that's for sure." Eric nodded and said, "Yes Ma'am." He slowly turned and headed back out into the hallway.

He boarded an elevator and headed down to the room levels. He headed to his assigned room and opened the door. He walked inside and saw no one. "Where is this person?" Eric said to himself. He saw a blue flash out of the corner of his eye and heard a familiar voice say, "I'm right here." He looked over and saw Yuna's hologram shining from a holo pad. She looked different. Her outfit had a more modern look to it. It was still the Gothic Lolita school girl style of dress but with a more modern touch. Her hair was slightly different as well. The right side of her bangs now had a platinum white patch of hair in them.

Eric walked over to his A.I. He said quietly, "God did I miss you over these past three days. I could of used your help so many times. She smiled and cocked her hips sassily as she usually did and said, "Hmmph! I know, I know. You're lost without me." Eric shrugged and said, "Apparently, I mean look at me." Yuna examined his tattered Dress Uniform. She saw the tares in the fabric and the dirt spots as well as the countless scuffs over the trench coat. She sighed and said, "They make me leave you alone for a few days and look what happens." Eric took off the trench coat and tossed it on the floor. He didn't even bother to fold it because of the damage it had. He sat down on the edge of his bed and said, "Tell me about it." Yuna saw the expression of defeat on his face. She said softly, "I heard that mission at the Palace didn't go so well for you three."

He shrugged and said, "It was fine until the Covenant thought it would be a good idea to invade the Palace." Yuna sighed and said, "Well there's no since in beating yourself up over all of this. You're going to get assigned on a rescue mission and I know you and the others will be able to get her back." Eric slowly stood. "Where are you going?" Yuna asked. Eric said as he walked away from her, "I'm getting a quick shower. I'll be out in a few minutes." He shut the bathroom door hard behind him. "Ok." Yuna said softly to herself, knowing he wouldn't hear anyways.

Eric stripped from the remains of his uniform and stepped into the shower. He let the warm water pour over his body. He tried to relax and shake the thoughts from his head. He couldn't help but keep repeating the same line he told Command only hours before, "_The Chancellor has been captured by Covenant Forces_." That line screamed mission failure in his mind. As a Spartan, he was taught to never accept failure and until now he and his team never had to even think about that word. He shook the thought from his mind the best he could. He quickly washed his electric blue hair and his body. He finished up and stepped out of the shower. He dried off and then looked at himself in the mirror. The Carbine wound's to his back from the battle in Eclipse was healing nicely. He looked at his face. A long scar was beginning to form over his left eye from where his shattered visor had cut him during The Arch's collapse. He sighed and mumbled to himself. "Another scar for the collection." He quickly combed his hair and brushed his teeth then wrapped a towel around his waist.

He walked back out into his room and opened up one of the drawers on a dresser next to his bed. He found a loose pair of black track pants and a black muscle shirt. Yuna asked softly, "Do you feel better after your shower?" Eric dropped his towel and started to get dressed. He said, "I guess. I just have to accept what happened and face it head on." Yuna looked at his well muscled body as he changed. She immediately blushed and turned her head. She let out a light sigh of embarrassment. Eric looked over and saw her looking away. "What's wrong?" He asked. "It's noting." She told him quietly. She lied. She had always found Eric attractive and couldn't help but blush at the sight of him changing. She cursed her emotions and how they played hell with her.

Eric threw on his black muscle shirt headed over to pick up the remains of his uniform. He heard a small phone ringing on his night stand. He picked it up and said, "SPARTAN-45." It was the voice of Bradigans. He said, "Sorry to disturb you Sir, but I was told to let you know that due to the sudden increase in Covenant activity, the War Committee will have to delay your meeting an additional five hours." Eric replied, "Understood." As he hung up the phone. Eric sat on the edge of his bed and said, "It looks like, I can try and get a full nights sleep for once."

Yuna projected herself so her hologram was sitting on the bed next to him. Eric eyes widened, "Since when can you do that?" He asked. Yuna replied, "I was upgraded. They made a lot of changes to me. More Nanite rounds that I can deploy, better communications, advanced Covenant technology was interfaced with me so there systems are a lot easier for me to hack into, and the ability to project myself like this. What do you think?" Eric slowly stood and said, "Stand up a second." Yuna projected her figure to stand. She was tiny to say the least. She stood at only 4'11" and had to look straight up at Eric to see his face. Eric cracked a smile and said, "Jeez Shorty, are you sure you're projected to your actual size. Yuna pouted, "Hey, don't make fun of me because I was programmed to be short! You can thank Dr. Halsey for that one!" Eric smiled and said, "Relax, you look fine. And besides, I like shorter girls." Yuna blushed deeply, "And what do you mean by that?" He shrugged, "Nothing, I just like shorter girl's is all." Yuna didn't know what to say. Countless thought were running through her head. "_Does that mean he likes this look? Oh god I hope so!_" Eric moved so Yuna was standing next to him. He looked at the mirror in front of his bed and said, "Wow, look at that, it's like you're here and standing with me." She looked at the reflection. He stood a little over two feet taller then her, and she barely stood up to his abdomen. For the first time she actually saw how she would look standing next to her Spartan. She saved the mental image into her memory. It was a memory she would keep with her always.

Eric went to put his hand on her shoulder. His hand went through her hologram. He sighed and said, "Whoops, I forgot you're only a projection." Yuna's eyes widened and she instantly vanished back into her holo pad. "Yuna, what's wrong?" He asked. She uttered out, "That hurt you know. I finally get to stand next to you and you call me a projection." "But…, Yuna." Eric said quietly. "You are only an…" "Don't say it!" She yelled. "I know I'm only a program. I know I'll never be able to stand next to you for real or be able to do anything as a person with you." Her voice shuddered. "Yuna..." Eric said softly. Her small hologram appeared. She was upset and crying. Her emotions had completely taken over her systems.

Eric sat down on the bed next to her holo pad. She shakily said, "Do you know how much it hurts to know that I'll never be able to feel your touch or be able to be embraced? I know I'm just a program and I know that no matter what I do or how many calculations I run I'll never be able to live for real." Her hologram fell to her knees and she cried. Eric didn't know what to say. He knew she was programmed to have humanlike emotions but he never knew in all the time he spent with her that she could have outbursts like these. He sighed and scooted over on his bed. Yuna looked up and saw him patting the area next to him. She looked up at him and he said, "Come sit next to me and we can talk." She slowly stood and her hologram vanished for a second then reappeared in her normal human height. She stood next to the bed and slowly adjusted her outfit and sat down.

She breathed in several sharp breaths as she held back her sobs. Eric held his hand over her shoulder where her hologram ended. He figured that might make her feel better. He said, "You know, you've always been more then just a program to me. You've been the one person I could always go to when I had problems and you're always there for me when I'm on a mission. There's been so many times in the past few days where I would have been dead if you hadn't been here to watch my back." Yuna looked up at him and wiped her holographic tears from her bright blue eyes. She began to calm down and she uttered out, "Really?" Eric smiled and said, "Do I even need to bring up the Theta again?" Yuna wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and managed a smile. "I did save your ass back there didn't I?" Eric sighed and said, "As much as I hate to admit it, you did Yu." She looked up at him and asked, "Yu?" Eric looked down at her and said, "What? You call me soldier boy all the time. I'm not allowed to give you a nickname?" Yuna closed her eyes and smiled. She leaned her head against Eric's chest and said, "I suppose so. And I like the name, because you gave it to me."

Yuna sat silent leaning against her Spartan. Her tiny orbs of light that sparkled around her figure made her china doll face glow. Eric looked down at his A.I. Her eyes were closed and she sat silent. She almost looked as though she was sleeping. All he could think was how humanlike she looked sitting next to him. He had always cared for her but this was the first time where it actually hit him that he was beginning to feel more for her then just as his companion. He shook the thought form his head. "_What am I thinking?" _He thought to himself. "_No matter how real this all seems right now, she can't be anything more to me then a program."_

He sighed and shifted his body. Yuna looked up at him and said, "What's wrong?" He shook his head and said, "Nothing, I'm just tired. I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep." Yuna's hologram stood up and she said quietly, "Oh, ok. Rest will be good for you after all of this. Would you like me to wake you at any certain time?" Eric pulled the covers back on his bed and said, "No thank you, I don't have to meet with the War Committee for a while so I'm just going to sleep through the night." He coved himself up and lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. Yuna pulled her figure back onto her holo pad and said quietly, "Oh, ok. Rest well." "Thank you." he said as he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Yuna watched as her Spartan drifted off to sleep. She held out her hand and pulled up the picture she took of herself standing next to him. She managed a weak smile as she looked at the image. She lowered her hand and the image vanished. She once again projected herself to her normal human size. As Eric slept she leaned over his bed. She pulled her glowing strands of her long flowing hair behind her and leaned down. She carefully put her hand on the side of his face and she lightly kissed her Spartan. It was a moment she never wanted to end. It was also something that tore at her. Yuna had always cared for Eric but as she got to know him she felt herself becoming closely attached to her Spartan. And after all they had been through over the years and most recently on Eclipse she found her bond with him getting tighter. She knew that she loved her Spartan and she would always try to fight off those thoughts because she hated to think of the impossible. But still, this was something that she didn't want to let vanish from her memory.

Her hologram crawled into the bed and she lay down next to her Spartan. She put her hand on his chest and looked at him as he slept. She lightly smiled and thought to herself. "_It's amazing how innocent you look when you're not killing things or blowing stuff up."_ Yuna laid her head down on Eric's shoulder. She softly said, "I love you Eric."


	22. DRILL

Ok, once again as always, sorry for the delay. I wanted to get this posted before I have to leave town for memorial day or whatever the hell holiday is tomorrow.

I wanted to complete this whole part involving the base in this chapter but due to my increasing idea flow I had to once again split this chapter. I highly doubt you all want me to post a chapter that would of taken upwards of 20 pages on Word. So the next chapter will be the conclusion to the base chapters then it's back to battle! I'll be starting on Chapter 23 this coming weekend so please look forward to it. Until then, I hope this satisfies you all.

(CHAPTER 22) DRILL

Eric awoke to the sound of the bases alarms. He instantly pulled himself out of bed and asked, "Yuna, what's going on?" Her hologram appeared and she said, "Covenant ships are taking formation around that large ship that appeared this morning. Also, reports of Covenant troops being deployed back to the surface are coming in." Eric replied, "Looks like I'm getting deployed again. Gimme a minute and we'll head outside and take a look at what's going on." He opened up his dresser and pulled out a set of clothes; black urban camo pants and a black muscle shirt. As he headed to the bathroom to get dressed Yuna replied, "Don't get to relaxed, that ship has been making the UNSC paranoid since it got here and we still don't know what it's capable of." Eric called back from inside the bathroom. "Don't worry, lemme get ready and then we'll go up and take a look outside and see what that ship is doing." "If you insist." She said. "Oh I do! I trust my own judgment over anyone else's." "That's what scares me." She called back.

A few minutes later, Eric returned to his room and said, "Ok, I'm going to head up to the hanger bay and see what's going on with that ship. You can meet me up there through the bases computer system right?" Yuna nodded and said, "I can do that, just don't keep me waiting." Eric smiled and said, "I'll get there when I get there Yu." Yuna rolled her eyes as Eric headed for his door. He opened it and stepped out into the hall. The private barrack level he was stationed on only had a few higher ranked officers and Devon and Kalder stationed on it and since he saw no one around he assumed they were already out receiving orders. Eric boarded the elevator and hit the level for the hanger bay. The five minute ride to the surface seemed to take forever. Eric leaned his back against the elevator wall and thought. The feeling of failure was still fresh in his mind, plus his urge to get moving on his mission to rescue Izumi.

When the elevator shuddered to a stop, he could hear sounds of troops and vehicles moving from the other side of the elevator doors. When they parted, he saw troops scrambling back and forth meeting up with other platoons and getting ready to be sent back out into the city. The floor was to busy for him to just stand and observe. He looked around and saw a maintenance ladder leading to the hanger's roof. He climbed up and looked out to the cities skyline. He could see the large ship hovering off in the distance over where the glass fields were. He couldn't get a good look at was going on from this distance, even with his enhanced vision.

He looked around and saw an equipment pod waiting to be picked up by a Pelican. He walked over to it and popped the hatch. Inside he found an S2AM Sniper Rifle. Good, the scope would be useful. He picked up the weapon and held it at firing position. He looked through the scope and zoomed into the maximum setting. Far in the distance, he could see Covenant ships circling around the parameter of the large craft. From what he could guess, he estimated he saw at least fifty Covenant Destroyers circling the craft with a few having there gravity lifts activated.

Something caught his eye. For a second, the color in his rifles scope began to flare up. When he unfocused from the scope to examine the weapon for faults, he realized that the light was in fact changing. In the early evening light, the sky changed from an autumn orange to an almost blood red. Eric looked up thinking it was the auroras. He was stunned at what he saw. Aurora's two large moons were about to eclipse. He had to narrow his eyes as the suns bright corona began to flare a brilliant red behind the two moons. He heard a loud hum. He instantly looked back at the large Covenant ship through his Sniper Rifles scope. The UFO like craft slowly began to rotate. Eric watched as neon green beams of energy began to pulse and spark from the four large half arch's of metal on the top of the craft. Eric looked away from his sniper scope and back up at the two large moons. They were now in a total eclipse, and due to there slow gravitational rotation, they would remain that way for several hours.

He refocused back on the large Craft. The humming grew louder and its outbursts of energy flared. Suddenly, a blood red beam of energy connected from the top of the craft to the two large moons, almost as if the ship was harnessing energy from them. The large craft began to glow with energy. From its underbelly, a bright green orb appeared. Eric watched on. "What the hell!?" He thought to himself. Suddenly, a beam of neon green energy slammed into the surface of the city. Eric watched through his scope and saw half destroyed sky scrapers collapse from the sudden attack. He watched as a shockwave roared across the surface. A few seconds later, he heard a loud boom followed by what felt like an earthquake. The bases alarms screamed and down below, troops scrambled. Eric lowered his Sniper Rifle and looked on. The ship seemed to be harnessing energy somehow through the planets moons and it was using that power to unleash some sort of attack. Eric laid the Sniper Rifle on the roof of the hanger next to a Pelican's landing platform and headed back for the maintenance ladder. He quickly slid down the ladder and ran back for the elevator.

He felt the elevator vibrate and shudder from the Covenant ships attack. He heard the elevators door chime as it reached one of the sub levels. The doors opened and Eric quickly stepped out. Before him was a dimly lit room with a large armored door on the opposite end. The floor trembled slightly from the attack that was taking place in the city; he couldn't even begin to guess what the power levels that ship had were. He quickly walked over to the large armored door and saw Yuna's hologram appear on a small computer pad. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Well, feel like trusting the UNSC's judgment now?" Eric said as he typed in a code on the doors computer system, "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to." A green light flashed and the large armored door slowly swung open.

Inside was a long dimly lit hallway. The walls were lined with starship grade armor plating with reinforced steel beams for extra protection. At the opposite end of the hallway was a similar door. Yuna reappeared on the doors holo pad and said, "And now I'm guessing you feel the urge to once again take matters into your own hands while dragging me along with you?" Eric typed in a code on the other doors security system. He looked at Yuna and said, "You know I always take you to nice places." Yuna sighed and made her hologram project to human size. She walked up to the front of the door and placed her hands on two energy locks on the door. Large titanium latches from inside the door echoed through the hall as they unlocked. The door slowly swung open and inside Eric saw his blue and red suit of MJOLNIR. Yuna's hologram walked inside the room first. She looked at the suit of armor and said, "I'll bet you've been dieing to get back into that since we got here." Eric walked in and said, "You have no idea."

His armor was positioned on a platform in between Kalder and Devon's empty suits. Both of them were nowhere around. Eric's guess was that they were still recovering in the medical bay. He walked up to his suit and quickly inspected it. It was brand new, completely free of any dents, scuffs and scratches. He quickly disassembled it and began to put it on. He stripped from his baggy urban camo fatigues and put on the black under layer of the suit. Next he slipped into the suits black layer. Once he had that on he began to piece together the armor plating around his body. Finally, he lifted up his helmet and slid it on. His suit hissed as it compressed around his body and he watched as his helmets HUD flashed to life. He quickly did a system check on his entire suit and everything checked out in working order. He flexed his arms and legs several times to loosen up his new battle suit then stepped into a red square where his armor was positioned. Yuna's hologram walked up to him and said, "Are you ready to bring your energy shields online?" Eric nodded and said, "Yeah, charge them." Yuna waved her hand in front of Eric and the shield generator began to rotate around him. Gold bands of light surrounded him and he heard his suits shield generator hum to life. With his shields at full charge, he saw Yuna snap her fingers. The gold light turned blood red and he felt a pulse of energy hit him. His shields dropped and then immediately recharged. Yuna smiled and walked up to Eric. She said, "Alright, your shields are working properly and you're once again ready to go out there and start causing havoc like usual." "Not yet." He told her. "I still have to report to the War Committee."

Eric walked off the platform with Yuna's hologram following beside him. With him back in his battle suit, she looked even smaller next to him. The two walked back out into the hall and headed towards the elevator. Eric said to Yuna, "We need to report down to Command. I need to find out exactly what kind of attack there using and what there hitting." Yuna held up her hands and a flat holo pad of text and information appeared in front of her. Looking over her Intel, she said, "So far all I've been able to detect is that there firing that beam at the glassed area we were in a few days ago. As far as to what there doing is unknown." Eric hit the button for the elevator. He looked down at Yuna and said, "Alright, I'll check in with Command and see what they have to say then we gotta go meet with the War Committee." The elevator doors parted and Eric stepped in. Yuna stood outside the elevator. She made her holo panels of information vanish and she said, "I'll meet you down at the Command level." Eric nodded and replied, "Alright." He watched Yuna vanish as the elevator doors closed.

After a short elevator ride, Eric walked out onto the Command level. Yuna reappeared in her human size form and continued walking with her Spartan. The large Command room was lined wall to wall with monitors, computer consoles and a large number of Command Officers that were frantically running back and forth from station to station trying to figure out what the large Covenant craft was attacking.

Intelligence Officer Bradigans was watching the main monitor that was giving multiple angel shots of the large craft. Eric approached him and the two faced each other and saluted. "Do we know what that thing is yet?" Eric asked. Bradigans looked back at the monitor and said, "From what we've been able to see, it looks like there drilling into the ground. There not aiming that beam at any other targets, only at that one spot." Eric looked at the monitor. "What would they be drilling for; all there going to find down there is nothing but subway tunnels and pipelines from the city." Bradigans shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine right now. All we've been able to figure out so far about this craft is that somehow there managing to harness power from the planets powerful magnetic field and the energy waves coming from the moons. Our guess is that this solar eclipse is enhancing the power levels incredibly because the energy readings we've been receiving from that drill ship are off the scale." Eric frowned and quietly said to himself. "So it's a drill ship huh."

The doors leading into Command opened. Devon walked in, in his cobalt blue and white battle armor at a quick pace up towards Eric. "Are you seeing this shit?" He asked frantically. Eric looked back at the monitors as Devon walked up beside him and said, "Unfortunately." "They give us any Intel on that bastard yet?" Eric, not taking his eyes off the monitors said, "All I've heard so far is that there using that ship to drill into the planet." "Drilling for what?" Devon asked. "No clue." Eric said. "There's nothing below this city aside from a shit ton of pipeline and wiring. This doesn't make sense."

Devon's A.I., Dokuro projected herself to normal human size. She, much like Yuna and Mitsuki was programmed to be a younger girl in her late teens. She wore a white skirted uniform with a red over coat overtop of it and a golden halo of light, much like an angels, hovered above her head. She had calm teal eyes that enhanced her pale skins beauty, and had shoulder length pale purple hair with two bob tails tied up on each side of her head with long dangly ribbons holding them in place. She walked up towards Yuna's hologram and the two began to analyze data trying to piece this all together. Eric looked at Dokuro and then at Devon and said, "She can do that to huh?" Devon looked at the two A.I.'s and said, "I guess so."

The two Spartan's continued to study the images Command was showing. Meanwhile, there two A.I.'s were coming up with conclusions of there own. Yuna carefully studied a holo image of the planets topography that she held in front of her. She looked at the exact location of where the Covenant ship was drilling. She said, "None of this makes any sense. Eric is right; all I'm able to detect below the surface is nothing but the cities underworld. There's nothing down there that they would be after that we wouldn't already know about." Dokuro narrowed her cool teal eyes and studied Yuna's topography map. Her sharp pale purple bangs of hair dangled over her face while she looked on. She asked Yuna, "How deep are you scanning?" Yuna not looking away from her map said, "Just to the deepest point of the man made systems below the city." Dokuro said, "Scan it deeper. Maybe where not looking hard enough." Yuna looked at Dokuro then back at her map. "Alright," She said softly. "let's see what else we can find."

Yuna boosted her signal and amplified it to as strong of a signal as she could. She scanned deeper and deeper into the planets surface and she couldn't pick up anything. For the most part, she only detected small seismic quakes caused by the Covenants Drill Ship. She closed her neon blue eyes and focused. She scanned deeper and caught a small blip. She gasped and her eyes shot open. "What is it?" Dokuro asked. Yuna, not drawing away her focus said, "Help me boost my signal." Dokuro turned and faced Yuna. She held her hands out towards her and they began to glow with a pale purple energy. Eric and Devon turned to see there two A.I.'s in an extreme focus. "What's wrong?" Eric asked. Dokuro replied, "Yuna picked up something below the surface, she may have found what the Covenant are after." "What!?" Bradigans asked as he turned towards the A.I.'s.

Yuna focused as hard as she could. She dug down further and scanned every inch of soil her signal passed through. Finally, after she reached the ten mile mark, her eyes shot open and her china doll face was locked in extreme focus. "There!" She announced. "What did you find?" Eric asked. Yuna fought to hold onto the signal. After three seconds, she gasped and fell to he knees. Eric went to her side and knelt down next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, "What happened?" Yuna sighed and rubbed her fingers against her forehead. She said, "I don't know. I picked up a massive energy surge at about ten miles below the surface." "Any idea what it was!?" Bradigans asked. Yuna still trying to calm herself down said, "No Sir, I only detected the energy surge. Its source is unknown. My apologies." "Dammit!" Bradigans cursed to himself. He turned to Eric and Devon and said, "Sir's, if it's alright with you, I would like you're A.I.'s to remain here for a while so we can try and figure this out." Eric nodded and said, "Of course. But if we get deployed, we'll need them back." Bradigans nodded and said, "That's understandable. Contact me if that time comes." Eric nodded and said, "Yes Sir."

The loudspeaker in the Command room clicked on. A voice said. "Attention, SPARTAN'S 45 and 69, you are to report to the Council Room immediately." Devon looked at Eric and said with sarcasm, "Alright! Time to listen to Ackerson bitch us out!" Eric groaned as he and Devon headed for the door. "Don't you just love the perks of this job?" he asked. Devon cracked a smile and said, "I'm still here aren't I?" Eric smiled. He turned back towards Bradigans and said, "Take care of our Girls while where gone." Ackerson nodded and said, "I'll see to it they they're treated with the best care we can give them. "Thank you Sir." Eric said. Before he walked out of the room, Devon turned and said, "Watch out though, they complain a lot." Dokuro scoffed and said, "Shut up Devon, we have to put up with you two complaining all the time." As the two walked out the door, Eric yelled back, "And that's why you love us!"

The two Spartan's armored boots made harsh echoes off of the titanium plated walls as they walked. Eric asked, "Those two are fun to pick on." Devon cracked a smile and said, "Yeah, but you know if they were real, they'd be slapping us all the time for half the shit we do to them." Eric laughed and said, "Could they even reach our faces? I mean, we tower over them already." "Good point!" Devon said back. The two boarded the elevator and headed down to meet with the War Committee. Eric sighed and said, "Oh well, those girls are the only thing keeping me sane right now. The war committee is going to rip us a new one and try to destroy us but at least I know I have my A.I. to go back to rant and complain to." Devon smiled and said, "Oh, I'm sure there going to hear all about this one." The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors parted. The two stepped out into the same long hallway that they walked down the first time the arrived at the base.

As they walked towards the meeting room, Eric asked, "Heard anything on Kalder?" Devon replied, "The last thing I heard was that he was still receiving treatment. He took those hard hits yesterday and they took him into emergency surgery. I asked about his condition before I got my armor back and Mitsuki told me that he has cracked ribs and a collapsed lung." Eric shook his head and said, "Well, it's probably for the best that he doesn't go to this meeting. The last thing he needs right now is to get worked up over what Ackerson will probably say to us." "You're probably right." Devon said.

The two walked up to the large door leading to the large Council Room. When they approached the door, the A.I. of the small blonde girl in the red Victorian dress appeared. She politely greeted them and said, "Welcome Spartan's, the Committee has been expecting you." The two saluted the A.I. and said, "Thank you Miss. Please let them know that where here." She smiled and did a curtsey as she opened the large door. "You may enter." She said as she vanished back into the bases system.

Eric and Devon slowly walked into the large open air meeting room. They walked into the center of the room and stood at attention. Devon opened up his armors private COM so that only Eric would hear him. "You ready for this?" Eric replied, "No, not really." "Good, me either." Devon said.

The three large monitors on the front wall of the room flashed and turned on. The two saw the UNSC emblem on the screen followed by the faces of Supreme Commander Edwin Drake and of course Colonel Ackerson. Lord Hood however was nowhere to be seen. Supreme Commander Drake began by saying, "Before we begin I am to report that Lord Hood has been called to an important assignment on Earth and will not be joining us." "Understood Sir. SPARTAN-73 will not be joining us as well due to injury." Eric replied sharply. Eric could see Ackerson roll his eyes at that comment. Drake continued by saying, "I understand so let's begin the meeting. I'm going to get right to the point here Spartan's. I am well aware that your last mission ended in failure and the capture of a planetary leader by Covenant forces as well as the attack on the Chancellors Palace." Eric replied, "Yes Sir. It is to my understanding that SPARTAN-73 was overwhelmed by Covenant troops right before our emergency Evac." "It is only you're understanding?" Ackerson asked. "So you're telling us that you don't have fact on what happened to the Chancellor?"

Eric was grateful for his polarized visor on his helmet. He was scowling at Ackerson. He was one of the people that he hated most and found it hard to hold his comments back around him. Eric continued, "No Sir. By the time SPARTAN-69 and I arrived, the Covenant were already taking the Chancellor aboard a Phantom." "Why didn't you open fire!?" Ackerson yelled. Devon replied, "It was far too risky Colonel. The Chancellor was in our direct line of fire and we didn't want to risk her injury." "I doubt a bullet wound would be anything compared to what those Covenant bastards are doing to her now, all because of you!" Supreme Commander Drake cut in. "I understand the situation you were in and that given the circumstances your actions were limited. However, a mission attempt to rescue the Chancellor must be set up. She's possess power that the Covenant would love to get there hands on, and that's something that the UNSC can't allow." Eric replied, "I understand, she is our first priority as well. As soon as you give us the word, my squad and I are ready for a rescue mission."

Drake sighed. He said, "That brings me to my next point. The large Covenant Craft that is to my understanding, drilling into the surface of Aurora. Until we know exactly what it's drilling for, we can't allow you to leave the base. You three would have to be immediately deployed to the drill location for combat should the need arise." "What about the Chancellor, Sir?" Drake sighed. He paused and said. "As hard as it is for me to say this, she's going to have to be put as our second priority. The safety of one of our last major colonies verses the safety of one person. However, this is a hard decision because of the power she possess. You know as well as I do number 45, due to you being from this planet. They'll want her for her ability as a Seeres."

Eric paused for a second. He then asked, "Are you absolutely positive that no immediate rescue mission can be arranged?" Ackerson cut in. "You heard the Supreme Commander. We have more important matters at hand. And if a rescue mission were to be attempted, we have a group of real soldiers ready to handle the task." Eric slowly turned his head towards Ackerson's monitor. "Sir, if I may ask," Eric said slowly, doing his best to hold back his rage. "What do you mean by, "Real Soldiers?" Ackerson stiffened his composure, he continued, "Due to the failure on your last mission, I'm seeing to it that another failure in this war doesn't happen again, especially a failure caused by the so called Super Soldiers."

Eric stiffened his jaw but held his composure. "Devon replied, "Colonel, are you implying that because of the Chancellors capture due to a large scale Covenant attack that we are no longer capable of missions? I guarantee you that no other UNSC troop aside from us Spartans know our way around a Covenant Assault Carrier and how to escape it alive." Ackerson replied, "We've provided the appropriate Intel needed for our troops." "And then what?" Eric asked, "A Covenant Assault Carrier is over three miles in length, do you know how fast a foot soldier would get lost in there even with a map. We're the only ones who have a basic ground on those ships. You would be sending troops to there death!"

Ackerson replied slowly with anger, "Are you questioning my authority number 45?" Eric, frowning under his visor replied, "With all due respect Sir, yes I am." Ackerson frowned. "You may have all of the civilians in the palms of your hands making yourselves out to be the heroes of this war, but you're failing to remember the ones who command you and give you those orders. Your random acts that you do on the battle field that earn you a victory make you so headstrong that you think you have this military under your control, but you don't! I'm going to see to it that the SPARTAN program is shut down so the UNSC stops wasting money on a failed project and that the Real heroes of this war are recognized without you getting in the way." "That's enough Colonel!" Drake said coolly. Ackerson continued anyway. "I don't care how the rest of the UNSC looks to you as the crowning soldiers. I know that the SPARTAN Project is dieing one SPARTAN at a time, and I have a feeling that by the end of this war, we'll be loosing a few more." Eric replied in a low voice, doing his best to hold back his rage against Ackerson. "I'm not afraid to die if it means completing my mission." Ackerson frowned. "I suppose so. And by the way, I heard that you found your mother a few days ago and that you couldn't save her. I suppose that you can take some comfort in knowing that your mother won't be around to see her son be Court Martialed because of his failure. She's better off dead now." "Ackerson!" Drake yelled.

Devon saw Eric's hands tightly clench into fists. Devon put his hand on the back of Eric's suit and was about to try and help calm him down. Eric put his hands on his helmet and he pulled it off. His suit hissed as it decompressed. Ackerson saw the look of pure anger and hate in the enraged Spartan's eyes. Eric held his helmet in his right hand. He yelled out and whipped his helmet at Ackerson's monitor. The heavy alloy of his MJOLNIR helmet slammed into the monitor and shattered the screen. Eric watched as his helmet fell to the floor along with shards of the broken monitor. Still breathing heavily, he looked at Supreme Commander Drake and said, "I apologize for my actions Sir. I just didn't…" Drake cut him off. "I understand number 45. And don't worry, we wont speak of what just happened ever again." "Thank you Sir." Eric replied.

Drake sighed and said, "Despite what was said by Colonel Ackerson, I want you both to know that I still have complete trust in you Spartan's. I also understand that you Spartan's are the only ones who can successfully navigate through any Covenant ship with a guaranteed chance of survival. I will see to it that you are put in charge of a rescue mission, but until the problem with the drill ship is taken care of, that mission will remain on standby. Finally, I think I've heard all I needed to hear on the situation." Drake stood and saluted. "SPARTAN'S, continue your fine service for the UNSC. Dismissed." The monitor went black.

"Are you ok man?" Devon asked. Eric slowly walked over and picked up his helmet. He slowly put it back on and said, "Yeah, I just lost my temper." Devon didn't want to dwell on the subject. He said, "Let's go see how Kalder is doing then get ready to head back out and finish this war."


	23. SOLO RESCUE

I know, it's been forever and a day since I last updated. I apologize. Its summer and I'm busy with social goings on and what have you's.

(CHAPTER 23) SOLO RESCUE

Anna sat patiently in the room her and Devon were assigned in the private barrack level. It had been over an hour since Devon left to meet back up with Eric to find out what was going on. The ever present tremble of the room from the attack the Drill Ship was unleashing on the city made her scared to say the least. She was a Palace Maid, she wasn't used to combat and being around military personnel. She pulled her knees to her chest and clutched her legs with her arms. She felt fear for the planet and for Izumi. Izumi was her closest friend; she had been ever since they were little, and knowing that she had been taken prisoner by the Covenant scared her to death.

She could hear constant orders being announced over the bases loud speaker, orders of deployment and for troops to be on standby. She knew that Devon would probably be getting sent out again soon. She didn't know much about the Spartan's. She had heard about them on the news and read about them in magazines but she would never have imagined she would have ever gotten the chance to meet them in person, let alone be attracted to one. Her thoughts immediately returned back to Devon. She signed and leaned back on the bed. The worrying made her tired. She hadn't got a decent night's sleep since this war started. Knowing that he wouldn't be back for a while, she quietly closed her eyes and tried to get a little bit of rest.

Her rest was short lived. A few minutes later, her room's door tone sounded. Anna opened her eyes, slowly got off of the bed and walked over to the door. She quickly unfolded the wrinkles from her maid uniform and answered the door. Outside was the hologram of a girl about her age with pale purple hair and wearing a skirted uniform. It was Dokuro. She was projected at her normal human height and stood nearly the same height as Anna. She spoke, "Are you Anna?" She nodded, "Yes, I am." Dokuro said, "Come with me." as she began to walk down the hall. Anna closed the door to her room and followed the A.I.

Dokuro led her down the hall towards the elevators. On the way she said, "So, you're the girl who's fallen for my Spartan." Anna blushed slightly. She replied calmly, "Yes, I am. Are you his…" Dokuro cut her off. "His A.I., yes I am." Anna, being polite said, "I see, well it's nice to finally meet you." The A.I. stopped and turned. She looked at Anna and studied her. Dokuro didn't know what to think, she was happy that her Spartan had found someone that cared for him but at the same time she resented this girl and was overwhelmed with jealousy. She hated that her emotions were getting the better of her. She replied calmly, "Thank you."

Anna felt horribly awkward. Devon's A.I. didn't seem thrilled to meet her. Dokuro stood not changing her blank expression. Her golden halo above her head flashed with light and spun slowly as she studied Anna. Dokuro continued softly, "You know what Devon is right, and what the Military makes him do?" Anna replied softly, "Yes, he's a Spartan, an elite soldier for the UNSC." Dokuro continued, "So you understand that he is also at the highest risk for death?" Concern flowed through Anna. "What do you mean?" Dokuro continued, "You said it yourself, he's an Elite Soldier. He's sent on suicide missions on a constant basis. Half of the time I'm even amazed we make it out alive." "What does this have to do with me?" Anna asked. Dokuro slowly walked up to Anna. She continued, "Are you prepared for the day when the report comes in that he's been killed in battle? Can you bear to hear those words and to know that he is dead? Just because he's a Spartan doesn't mean he's invincible. I've accepted this and Devon has too." The A.I. looked into Anna's eyes. She continued, "But, are you able to accept this as well?" Anna replied sternly, "I don't care about that possibility, just as long as I know that I had the opportunity to be with him and know that he cared for me like I care for him." Dokuro kept her stone cold expression. "How much faith are you willing to hold onto for what you're getting yourself into?" "I have enough to know that we're all going to make it through this war and that everything is going to work out in the end. I have that faith, and so does Devon. I'm sure a lot of his faith in battle was set towards you and keeping you safe. You are highly important to him after all, and not just because you're his A.I. but because you give him the boost to keep going."

Dokuro closed her eyes and frowned "You don't understand, I might be able to keep him going, and to tell him everything is going to be ok even when things are at their worst, but I can't always be there with him. There are going to be times when I won't be there to watch over him and just like old times, he'll be on his own." Anna stopped and stared. She hadn't thought of that, epically after the palace when Dokuro wasn't able to be there with him. He could have used her then. Anna Smiled and said "What does it matter, he's strong enough to face any challenges that face him, he has the training to pull through even without you." Dokuro's color shifted slightly. Her usual cool purple color morphed to a tint of red. This girl had just told her that her Spartan could manage without her assistance. She felt anger fill her and she wanted to lash out. She didn't allow herself. She sat calmed herself for a moment then continued. She did her best to keep her voice monotone.

She stared at Anna right in the eyes and said calmly, "Tell me what it is exactly, that makes you want to be with my Spartan so badly. You have ties to families of planetary rulers and the wealthiest and most respected people in the universe. Why would you choose someone with a life as dangerous as Devon's?" Without missing a beat, Anna put her hand to her chest and replied harshly, "Because I love him! I've never met anyone like him before! To most, he may seem like nothing more than a war fed killing machine, but to me I see past what his profession is! He kills people and the Covenant, I know, but I don't look at that. I look at him for who he is, not what the Military makes him out to be. I don't care about the other people I could be with. I could live a life of luxury with some snooty senator for the rest of my life and have to present myself as a perfect lady and live a fake life or I can be with a person that I actually care for who will love me back for who I am, not because of my ties to Izumi or anyone else."

Dokuro didn't know how to respond. This girl had just told her to her face that she loved her Spartan. It was an inevitability that this was one day bound to happen, but over the years Dokuro had developed such a strong bond with her Spartan that she had never bothered to prepare herself for this event. Her hologram took a few steps back from Anna. She cleared her throat and said, "Whatever the case may be, I want to make sure that you are well aware of the possible consequences for having a relationship with him. You need to understand that every mission he is sent out on, no matter how routine, no matter how many other troops are with him, and no matter how well planned it may be, his risk of death and the risk of you getting hurt are very high." Anna showed a rare stern face. She replied without thinking twice, "I already told you, none of that matters to me at all."

Dokuro closed her bright teal eyes and said. "I see." Her hologram quickly turned on her heel and waved her hand over the elevator doors to call the car up. Still looking away from Anna, she said, "The elevator will arrive in a few seconds. Board it and meet up with my sister. I have the floor level already set for you." Anna nodded and said calmly. "Ok, thank…" Before she could finish, Dokuro's hologram vanished. She found herself alone in the long hallway. She sighed. The stress from this war and now Devon's A.I. was getting to her. She heard the elevator doors part and she slowly walked into the car and then descended down deeper into the base.

After the short ride, the doors parted and she stepped out onto the medical floor. The Sister that Dokuro spoke of was nowhere to be found. Anna looked around and saw a sign on the wall that read Private Medial Bay. She figured that that's where they would be so she headed where the sign pointed. She walked down several dimly lit hallways and past several locked medical rooms. Up ahead she saw two heavily armed ODST's in full combat armor. As she approached they stopped her. One said to her. "Miss what are you doing down here? Civilians aren't authorized to this sector." Anna replied softly, "But I was instructed..." The ODST cut her off. "Miss, just go back up to the surface and meet back up with the rescue party. You don't have the clearance to be down here." Anna's voice got shaky. "But I..." She was again cut off by a blue light.

The light flashed next to her and another hologram appeared. This one was shorter then Dokuro was, and had ankle length sky blue hair with a white patch in her bangs. She wore elegant gothic style attire and was surrounded by shimmering orbs of light that made her china doll face glow. She calmly said in a sweet voice, "Stand down boys, she's with me." The two ODST's immediately stood at attention and said, "Yes Ma'am." She turned and looked at the Palace Maid. "Anna?" Anna nodded and said, "Yes." The A.I. smiled and said, "Please follow me." Anna nodded and followed the girl. The A.I. spoke and said, "Forgive the ODST's, their great soldiers but a little too picky when it comes to their duties." Anna replied calmly. "It's ok. No harm done." The A.I. smiled and continued. "My name is Yuna, I'm Eric's A.I." Anna again politely smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you." Yuna replied, "Likewise." Anna continued, "I just met Devon's A.I." Yuna replied with frustration, "Oh lord, I hope she wasn't hard on you." "It wasn't anything I couldn't handle." Anna said. Yuna shook her head and said, "She's very protective of Devon, then again all of us A.I.'s are protective of our carriers. I hope she didn't come off as lewd to you." "Not at all," Anna said. "I can understand why she was harsh." Yuna continued, "As long as she wasn't rude to you. Dokuro can be unpredictable when she's upset."

Yuna walked up to another door that was again guarded by two fully armed ODST's. The two saluted as Yuna approached. Yuna said, "We would like access please." The one Helljumper said, "Yes Ma'am." He typed in a code on the door and it unlatched. He opened it and let the two through. This was all so new to Anna. She was used to seeing the armed guards at the Palace but she had never seen security to the degree that was at this base.

After the two went through the armored door, Yuna asked softly, "Our Spartan's came back from the Palace pretty banged up. Kalder was in critical condition and Devon was in serious." Anna's eyes widened. "How serious were Devon's injuries? He told me they weren't that bad and that they just stunned him." Yuna replied, "From what I was told he suffered from a dangerous level of blood loss, sever plasma burns, and near shock." Anna gasped. I knew it was bad but he told me it was nothing that the doctors couldn't help him with. When he was getting treatment, he seemed like he was doing ok." Yuna stopped and turned. She looked at Anna and said. "Lesson number one in taking care of a Spartan; when they say that they aren't hurt, nine times out of ten their lying. Eric for example can be on the edge of shock and say he just feels light headed. Devon is the same way." "Why don't they just admit to it?" Anna questioned. Yuna shook her head and smiled. "That would be asking the impossible." "How so?" Anna asked. "Because," Yuna said as she flipped her sky blue hair back, "their trained to ignore it. Their meant to keep fighting to the end no matter how badly wounded they may be."

Yuna continued walking. She calmly said, "That is one of the first things that you need to burn into your mind if you plan to get involved with Devon." "I see." Anna said softly. She couldn't believe how naive she had been. She sighed and continued walking.

Yuna led Anna up to a door that was marked Intensive Care. She said, "Here we are." as she unlocked the door. The two girls walked inside. The area was lined with dimly lit hallways that led to a corridor of separate medical bays. Yuna walked down the hall and stopped in front of one of the medical bays. She said, "They're all waiting for us. Go ahead in." Anna slowly opened the door. Inside she saw Devon and Eric talking to one of the Medics. For the first time, she saw them in their armor. To her, seeing Devon and Eric in there combat suits made them look massive and terrifying; it was completely different then seeing them in their Dress Uniforms back at the Palace. She slowly walked in and everyone in the room looked at her. She calmly said. "Excuse me, but I was told to come here." Devon walked up to her. He took his helmet off and said, "Yeah, I wanted to be able to spend some time with you before they send us out again. I know it won't be a fancy evening for just the two of us but at least it'll be something." Anna sighed with glassy eyes. It scared her knowing that Devon was about to be deployed back into battle.

She replied with a shaky voice, "I see, when are they sending you back out?" Devon replied, "As soon as we get Kalder out of bed and suited up. By the way, you might wanna look out when he gets up, Kalder can be a little cranky."

The Medic looked over some of his paper work and said to Eric, "Well, he's stable again but he'll be sore for a while." "Will he be able to fight?" Eric asked. The Medic said, "Like I said, he can but he'll be sore, and it might affect his aim out there." Eric nodded and said, "It's nothing that he can't handle." "I understand," The Medic said as he did a final check on Kalder's status. "You can go inside and see him now." Eric nodded and motioned for Devon. Devon looked at Anna and said, "It would probably be best if you wait out here; he probably won't be in the best mood when we break the news to him." "What news?" Anna asked softly. Devon sighed and said, "They delayed our attempts for a rescue mission for the Chancellor. They want our full focus to be on that Drill Ship." Anna felt her heart sink. Hearing the news that her lifelong friend was made as a second priority for rescue was something she didn't want to hear. Anna frantically replied, "Why would they do that!? Don't they know who she is!? She's the beloved ruler of this world and because of a ship there making her wait for rescue! I may not know as much about the Covenant as you all do, but I know enough to know that she's in serious danger!"

Eric sighed and said, "Look, we're doing all we can to make the UNSC let us go on this mission. We know she's in danger and believe me, we want nothing more than to get up there and whoop there alien asses and get her back, but for right now, we have to be patient and hope for the best." Anna trembled. She uttered out shakily with tears beginning to stream down her face, "And how do you know she'll still be alive when you finally go up to get her?" Devon knelt down before her and wrapped his armored arms around her. He calmly replied, "Because, they're not stupid enough to kill the ruler of a planet, especially one that they have use for. If anything, they'll use her to their advantage to lure us towards them, which is exactly what we're waiting for so we can unleash an attack and rescue her. I promise you, we won't let anything else happen to her." Anna gripped her hands on Devon's armor. In between her sobs she uttered, "Just promise me you can get her back." "We will." Devon said as he comforted her.

Eric went up to Devon and said, "I'm going to head inside to see Kalder, you just take your time with her." Devon nodded as Eric turned and headed inside Kalder's room. He crossed through the threshold of the door and stepped into the private medical bay. The room's lights were dimmed and the quiet beeping of his health monitors pinged through the silence. As soon as he entered, he saw a green flash. He looked over and saw Mitsuki's life size form appear. She too had been upgraded both in her programming and looks. Her outfit was now a deep black one piece mini skirted uniform with neon green trim running around the seams. She wore matching boots and thigh high stockings and her now waist long neon green hair did laser-like duel helixes around her slender body. Amongst all of her appearance upgrades she still had her calm green eyes, sweet personality, and her ring of light that surrounded her body.

She smiled calmly as she always did and said, "Eric, it's so good to see you again." Eric took off his helmet and said, "Thank you, it's good to see you up and well too." She managed a light giggle and replied, "Despite what I went through, we managed to put it all too good use." "How so?" Eric asked. Mitsuki looked over Kalder's health monitors and continued. "Dr. Halsey was able to extract data from that solid energy virus that infected me. She was able to upgrade all of us to use that technology against the Covenant. So, much like you three cause havoc and destruction out there in battle, we'll be able to cause havoc of our own in their systems." "I see." Eric said.

The Spartan walked up to Kalder. He was still under sedation from the treatment. Mitsuki calmly asked, "Would you like me to wake him?" Eric answered, "Yeah, but he's not gonna be happy when he hears what happened." Mitsuki nodded and said, "He has to hear it from someone, it might as well be from someone he trusts." She pulled up a holo pad of information in front of her figure. She typed in a series of codes and deactivated the systems keeping Kalder sedated. Lights on his health monitors began to flash blue. Mitsuki reported, "He should be waking up in a few minutes."

Eric watched as his vital monitors returned to normal and he heard Kalder groan. He slowly opened his eyes and uttered out, "Izumi…, where is she…?" Eric said, "You know where she is Kalder." Kalder quickly shook his daze. As his sedation quickly wore off he found himself snapping back to reality. He quickly sat up and began ripping his I.V. lines out of his arms and forced himself out of his bed. He instantly grabbed the left side of his torso in pain. "What the hell happened!?" He asked frantically. "Isn't it obvious?" Eric asked. "We all fucked up hard core on our last mission. Devo was wounded, I was nearly Court Martialed, and you were in critical condition and put in a forced coma for 24 hours, my guess is you still are feeling like shit so you might wanna take it easy for a little bit." Kalder replied, "I don't give a shit how hurt they claim I am. I know my own limitations." He started to head for the door. "Where are you going?" Eric asked. Kalder replied, "Where do you think? To get back in my armor and then up to the Prophet's ship to get Izumi back."

Eric went up to Kalder and stopped him. "What are you doing?" Kalder asked trying to shove Eric off. Eric sighed and said, "Kalder, you're not going to want to hear this, but Command has strict orders for us to prep for an attack on that ship that arrived yesterday. So there making us put our rescue mission as a second priority." Kalder looked at Eric straight in the eyes, "What?" Eric continued, "They said that the safety of the planet over the safety of one person was our main concern." Kalder frowned. "Did you listen to yourself just now? You're telling me that the UNSC wants to make another attempt to save a planet that's already doomed over a life that can be spared!?" Eric stiffened his composure. He didn't like the idea of someone, especially a fellow Spartan calling his home world doomed. He sternly replied, "Look, once we deal with that ship we can begin our rescue mission." "And how long is that gonna take!?" Kalder yelled, "I'm not going to sit here and piss around until the UNSC decides it's time to start a rescue. I don't give a shit what they say, I'm going up there!" Eric stood in front of the door blocking him in. He said, "Don't let your emotions get in the way of what we need to finish. I know she's important to you but you need to remember what you are, YOU are a Spartan, and YOU have priorities to complete. We're the only edge the UNSC has right now to save this planet and I'm not gonna let you let your emotions get in the way of that."

With his lightning quick speed, Kalder grabbed the side arm off of the leg plate of Eric's armor. He quickly grabbed the pistol and slammed it against Eric's forehead. "Kalder stop it!" Mitsuki pleaded. He ignored his A.I.. Not flinching or moving a muscle, Eric said in a low voice, "Déjà' Vu." Hearing the commotion, Devon ran in the room. He instantly drew his own Pistol and said calmly, "Kalder, if you know what's good for you, you'll drop that gun." Not taking his focus off of Eric he said, "I'll drop it when I get through to you guys what our so called mission priorities should be." Eric laughed and said, "Damn this battle sent you downhill. Ever since we got here you've been sloppy as hell and now look at you, letting your emotions get in the way of your mission and you have a gun pointed at the head of one of your best friends. Now before you finish this and kill me, ask yourself, 'Do you really have the balls to pull that trigger'?" "Oh believe me, I want to." Kalder said in a monotone voice. "Well what's stopping you?" Eric asked.

Mitsuki walked up to Kalder. She calmly spoke. "Kalder, think about what you're doing. You know we'll think of something, just like we always do." He didn't speak. He only focused on holding a gun to the head of one of his best friends. Eric narrowed his eyes. He said in a monotone voice, "I know you're not going to pull the trigger, if you were gonna kill me you would have done it as soon as you had that thing to my head." Eric slowly raised his hand up and forced Kalder's aim away from him. He felt Kalder's grip loosen and he lowered the weapon. He dropped the gun on the floor and said, "I'm sorry." Kalder turned and headed out of his medical bay. Eric quickly picked up his pistol off of the floor and clipped it to his leg plate and then put his helmet back on. "Come with me." He told Devon as he headed for the door.

The two walked out into the small waiting room where Anna and Yuna were. "If you're looking for Kalder," Yuna said, "he just went storming out that way." Yuna pointed at the door and Eric and Devon immediately headed back out into the hall. Out in the hall, Devon and Eric saw Kalder board an elevator and head down to the deeper sub levels. Eric hit the button for the second elevator. It seemed to take forever for the second car to arrive. By Spartan standards they were being held up far too much. When it finally arrived the two Spartan's stepped in and Eric hit a button for the armory. "Why the armory?" Devon asked. "Because," Eric said, "that's where his armor is, and you know in the mood he's in, he's about to do something stupid." "Good point!" Devon remarked.

The elevator came to a halt and the two immerged back into the heavily armored hallways where there armor was held. The two passed through the titanium doors and arrived at the large blast door that sealed the armory. This one required their A.I.'s. who were not with them at the moment. Eric opened up his COM and called Yuna. "Hey sweets, you wanna unlock this door for me?" He heard Yuna reply with her usual sassy attitude. "Sure, if you promise not to call me Sweets anymore." He heard his COM cut out and saw the red light above the door change to green and heard the large metal blast door unlock. The thick metal door swung open and the two walked in to find Kalder already suited up and charging up his suits shields.

Eric and Devon walked in. The gold light around Kalder's suit vanished as his shields were again fully operational. He stepped off of the platform and went over to Eric and Devon. Eric looked at Kalder and said, "You're going after her anyway, aren't you?" Kalder replied, "I'm guessing you're here to try and stop me?" Eric shook his head, "No, I'm not because I know it wouldn't do any good and I would just be wasting my breath. I'm just wondering how you plan to pull this off. I know we've been on Covenant ships before but this is different. You're planning on going up alone on a Capital Ship with no one to watch your back." "I'll be fine." He said without a second thought. Devon crossed his arms and said, "You know that she's on the Prophet's ship right, and that it'll be guarded out the ass with Brute Chieftains." Kalder went over to a weapon rack and picked up a Battle Rifle and a Sniper Rifle. He loaded a fresh clip into his Sniper and said, "If something's stupid enough to try and challenge me when I'm up there, it's their own fault?"

Kalder headed for the door and back out into the hallway. Eric and Devon followed and boarded the elevator with him. Kalder hit the button for the hanger bay. "Just one question." Devon asked. "How do you plan on even getting aboard that ship?" "Remember that Phantom I stole from that platoon of Elites when Mitsuki was injured?" Kalder asked, "I'm taking that and Mitsuki will hack through all of their security systems for me so I can get aboard." The elevator quickly ascended up towards the surface. Eric looked at Kalder and said, "You know, if she can't hack through all of their systems, you're dead." "I know." Kalder said quietly, not fearing the consequence. The elevator slowed and the doors parted at as it arrived at the hanger where the stolen Phantom was being kept.

The ship sat in its own private hanger guarded by UNSC troops. Kalder walked towards the ship. Mitsuki's hologram appeared and began walking next to her Spartan. She calmly asked. "Are you sure that you want to solo this one?" Without hesitation he replied. "This is no one else's battle; I'm responsible for this and I'm going to fix it." Kalder turned to face his A.I. Mitsuki stood patiently with a worried look on her face. Kalder depolarized his visor so she could see his face. He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Ready to go on another crazy adventure?" He asked her with a slight grin. Mitsuki smiled and said, "I don't really have much of a choice." She held her hand out and set it on the glove of Kalder's armor. Her hologram vanished and found her place back in her chip inside Kalder's mind. "It's good to be home." She said softly.

Eric opened his private COM to Kalder and asked. "How do you plan on even getting this ship out of here. You know that it's UNSP property now right, and that they're not going to let you borrow it for a mission that you aren't even supposed to be going on?" Kalder replied, "You make it sound like I'm doing something illegal here. Just watch."

Kalder walked up to the ship. He was instantly stopped by the lower ranked guards. One of the soldiers stopped Kalder as he approached. "I'm sorry Sir. We're under strict orders not to let anyone pass." Kalder replied. "I see. I myself am under strict orders from Supreme Commander Drake to board this craft for a classified mission." The guard replied. "I wasn't aware of any mission taking place Sir." Kalder replied quickly. "Of course you weren't! It's a classified mission. They don't just hand out top secret information to just anyone. I'm probably going to get my ass chewed out as it is for telling you this much." The guard, still trying to do his job replied. "Sir, with all due respect, I'm not even sure you have the proper clearance to be anywhere near or on this ship." Kalder shook his head. He replied, "Son, do you see this armor? Do you know who I am?" The guard replied, "Yes Sir I do. You're SPARTAN-73." Kalder nodded his head and calmly replied. That's right, and I'm sure that you're more than aware of the mission's I'm sent on and the means I use to accomplish them." "Yes Sir I do." The guard replied sharply. "Good." Kalder continued. "Then I suggest that you step aside and let me board that ship unless you would like to explain to Supreme Commander Drake as to why I couldn't go on my mission." The guard instantly stepped aside and said, "Understood Sir. My apologies for the hold up." The guard saluted and Kalder returned the gesture. He said. "Thank you." As he headed toward the ships rear entrance.

"Smooth." Devon said as he and Eric walked past the guards and over to their fellow Spartan. Kalder boarded the Phantom and turned. He said, "Yeah, but I don't expect it to go smooth for me when I get back from this one. I am stealing a ship from the Military after all." "Didn't you steal it to begin with?" Eric asked. Kalder set his weapons and ammo down on the ship's deck. He replied, "You know, you're right. Maybe I'll get off easier then." Kalder readied to close the back hatch and take off. Before he left, Eric stopped him. "Are you sure you don't want us to go with you?" "No," Kalder told him. "This is something I have to do alone." Eric nodded. "I understand." Eric and Devon watched as the back hatch of the Phantom closed. A few moments later the ships engines hummed to life and the craft began to float. It slowly turned and faced the exit of the hanger. Devon opened his COM and said to Kalder, "Hey, good luck up there." A click of static followed by Kalder's voice said, "They say it all the time in the UNSC. We've done the impossible before." The COM cut out and the Phantom flew off into the sky.

The two Spartan's stood and watched as the Phantom disappeared from view and flew off into the heavens. From behind them they heard a familiar voice. "I see he went anyway. I knew nothing was going to hold him back." Eric and Devon turned to find Dr. Halsey standing with Dokuro and Yuna. "There wasn't any stopping him Ma'am. He's hell bent on a rescue mission." Dr. Halsey took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses on her white lab coat to clean them. She replied. "I know. Supreme Commander Drake and I were expecting this." Devon cut in. "For the record Ma'am, we did try to talk some since into him." Dr. Halsey put her glasses back on and said. "Well, he left before I could give him something. Now it looks like just you two will be getting this upgrade." Eric asked. "Upgrade, what upgrade?" Dr. Halsey motioned them to follow and said. "Come with me. I think you're going to like this."


	24. ANGEL

SECTION 2 – UNDERGROUND

O900 Hours, October 22, 2552 (Military Calendar) /

UNSC Outpost Bravo, Planet Aurora

Luna System

(CHAPTER 24) ANGEL

"Sir, the ship stopped firing at the surface." A Marine said over the COM channel. Bradigans who was elbow deep in paperwork at Command rushed over to the monitors to look at the ship. He saw that the large ship had stopped its attack. Below it was a deep hole that was punched into the planet's surface. From the visuals that Marines were sending, the area was clouded with smoke, and Covenant ships and troops that patrolled the area. Troops were unable to get near the hole from the thick wall of Covenant troops so there was no way of knowing how deep it was. The area around it was charred with ashen colored class and glowing hot rocks. Bradigans said to the ONI Officers, "Get the Spartan's down there. Have them find out what those bastards after."

Dr. Halsey led her Spartan's back into the base. "I think you're going to like this. I've been working on these for quite some time but they weren't field ready until just a few days ago. That and given our current situation and what you'll be doing, I think now is the perfect time to test this out." Dr. Halsey stepped into an elevator and motioned the two Spartans in. Eric and Devon stepped into the elevator and felt the car shudder from the sudden weight change. Yuna and Dokuro stood outside of the elevator car. Yuna's hologram flipped her long sky blue hair back behind her shoulder and said, "I'll go get Anna and meet you down below." Dokuro then added. "I have a few things to check on as well before we head out again." Dr. Halsey nodded and said. "Alright girls, you know where to find us."

The elevator doors slid shut and Yuna looked over at Dokuro. She calmly asked. "Do you want to tell me why you have so much friction between Devon and Anna?" Dokuro snapped her attention towards her sister. She harshly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about." Yuna narrowed her eyes and said, "I know that you and her don't get along, I just want to know why." Dokuro met eyes with Yuna. She said in a stern voice. "Answer me this first. I know how much you care for Eric. You care for him just as much as Mitsuki cares for Kalder and I care for Devon, if not more. How would you feel if some random girl just came into Eric's life and you were pushed out of the way?" Yuna didn't know how to respond. She thought and processed the question. She finally replied, "Dokuro, you and I both know that we can't take the place of a real girl in our Spartan's lives. This was bound to happen eventually. Our Spartan's may mean the world to us but there's only so much that we can do for them. As much as we may hate it and as much as we want to ignore the fact, we're just their..." Dokuro harshly cut Yuna off. "Their A.I.'s, I know!" Dokuro sighed. She lowered her bright teal eyes and looked at her own feet. She was so confused. The thought had never even crossed her mind that she would have to someday give her Spartan up to another. Yuna softly continued. "I know what you're thinking and believe me; I think the same things you do towards Eric. But we just have to accept what we are and live with it." Yuna froze. She couldn't believe what she was saying. It completely went against everything she had hoped for towards her and Eric. Especially after realizing just how physically attached she was getting towards her Spartan.

Dokuro looked at her sister. She could read her expressions like an open book. Dokuro narrowed her eyes and said harshly, "You see. It hurts to think about things like this, doesn't it?" Dokuro quickly spun on her heel and vanished. Yuna quickly cleared her mind and refocused. It was the same thought that always came back to haunt her. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with her Spartan but she knew it would never happen. She sighed and her hologram vanished as she transported herself down to meet up with Anna.

The elevator doors parted and Dr. Halsey and her Spartan's stepped out into a long hallway. "I think you'll find this new improvement to your suit's to be very effective given the mission ahead of you." She came to a large door and typed in a code on a key pad. The door instantly unlatched and swung open. Inside Eric and Devon saw two objects painted to their armor colors. The two walked in and approached the new objects. They looked like large equipment packs that attached to the back of their battle suits.

Eric approached the one that was painted in his colors. He ran his fingers over the pack and noticed that it was covered in the same armor plating that his armor was made of. "What is this Ma'am?" He asked while still studying the object. Dr. Halsey approached him and said, "If you get this attached to your suit I'll show you." Eric looked at Devon. Devon instantly shook his head, "Oh no! I'm not being her guinea pig again!" "Fine." Eric groaned as he positioned the back of his battle suit against the pack. It attached to the two vents on the top of his suits fusion pack and clipped onto the lower side plates that covered his lower ribs. He watched as his HUD on his helmets visor flashed up a screen of information as his suits systems adjusted to the upgrade.

Dr. Halsey approached him and said, "I think you'll find this new upgrade to be very beneficial to you in battle." What does it do Ma'am?" he asked. Dr. Halsey said. This pack is completely controlled by thought, much like the systems in your MJOLNIR armor. I want you to focus on spreading wings." Eric was confused. "What do you mean?" He asked. Dr. Halsey replied. "Like how a bird spreads its wings before flight." Eric nodded and focused his thoughts. He thought about wings being spread and he felt the pack jump along with the sound of armor plating shifting into position. He looked back and saw that the pack had spread huge wings made of armor plating. They looked much like the wings of an eagle and were colored to his armor's colors. He was speechless. All he could muster out was, "Wow!" Devon instantly walked over to Eric and studied the new upgrade. He looked over the wing frame and noticed a rounded edge that looked ideal for gliding and flight. After a few seconds of study he said, "Yep! I'm putting mine on!" Eric, still captivated by the wings uttered out, "Yeah, you go do that." Not really paying attention to anything else around him anyway.

Dr. Halsey said, "This is Project Angel. It's essentially a jet pack that has the power to fly you into battle without the use of a noisy Pelican." "That's all it's used for is getting us into battle?" Devon asked. "No, there's a lot more." Dr. Halsey added. "The pack's thrusters can reach speeds of over mach one when you're in a dive position. We developed the technology from captured Banshee thrusters and improved on the design.

Your maneuverability will be aided by these special wings. Aside from flight, the wings function as a protective barrier. The feather plates are made from a light weight carbon based material, their strong and fair very well against extreme heat so it will make them ideal for blocking plasma fire." "How hard of a hit can they take?" Eric asked. Dr. Halsey approached Eric and ran her fingers over one of the feather plates on his angel pack. While looking over his suit she said, "From my rough estimates, they can deflect plasma rounds as strong as a Hunters Fuel Rod Cannon. Also, if you find yourself caught in battle with low shields you can simply have the wings fold around to shield you from the front. You have a fourteen foot wingspan that aids in gliding and accurate flight through obstacles and combat situations, and like I said before, it will serve well for shielding. You can also hover and climb at rapid speeds."

The wings on Devon's pack shot out with lightning speed. He quickly looked over his own pack, painted in his colors of cobalt blue and white. He made a grin under his helmet and said, "Just how rapid are we talking?" Dr. Halsey said, "With full burn, you can hit one hundred miles per hour in about five seconds, which is exactly why I don't want you testing them in here!" Devon un-flexed his legs out of a takeoff position and groaned. "Fine, I'll wait."

"This brings me to the next part." Dr. Halsey said. She walked around to the back of Devon's suit and looked it over to make sure it was free of faults. She continued, "These packs are powered by a separate fusion pack, much similar to the one that powers your armor. Standard flight time in atmosphere will last about twenty minutes, in hard vacuum it will last about 30 minutes. However, if you use constant boost the flight time will be signifigently shorter. Once the power runs low, I suggest you find somewhere to land and allow the system to recharge for a few minutes." "A few minutes?" Eric questioned. "Dr. Halsey looked over at him and said, "I know that sounds like a lot of time during combat but it shouldn't be anything that you can't handle. And if that should happen, you can always use the wings as protection. The wings run off a separate power supply so they will still be able to function and move even if the flight power is drained. Oh yes, and one final thing." Dr. Halsey said as she stepped back. She walked over to a small computer panel and hit a series of buttons. Gold light surrounded the Spartans and they saw a separate shield bar appear on their HUD's. Dr. Halsey continued, "Your Angel Packs also have their own separate shield generator. Just something extra I added to prolong the life of the packs, because we all know how hard you are on my things."

Devon stepped towards Dr. Halsey, he said, "Ma'am I'm hurt that you think we're hard on your equipment, and besides, it's not our fault that…" There was a loud crash as the tip of one of Devon's wings caught a portable light and knocked it over. Dr. Halsey crossed her arms and looked at Devon. He continued, "Ok, now that one wasn't on purpose."

The three heard the door latch open. They turned and saw Yuna, Dokuro and Anna walk in. "We're here! Yuna said happily. She walked in and her hologram stopped. She looked and saw her Spartan with spread wings. To her she thought they made her Spartan look incredible. She and Dokuro both thought the same thing about their Spartan's new upgrades. Yuna walked up to Eric. She studied the new upgrade and ran her delicate holographic fingertips over the feather plates that made up the wings on his pack. She said, "And just when I thought you couldn't possibly wear any more armor." "Say what you want," Eric said to his A.I., "you know I look good." Yuna went into her usual pose. She put her hands on her waist and cocked her hips. She grinned and said, "I'm not complaining, and beside's now I have more to do when I'm in your armor."

Dokuro walked up to Devon. "What do you think?" He asked her while showing off his wings. She too studied the new upgrade. She did a thorough visual scan to make sure every plate and mechanical piece was in good condition. She showed a hint of a grin and said, "As always, this is going to make you head strong and you're going to take me into a crazy battle with this." "Damn right!" Devon told her.

Dokuro saw Anna walking up behind Devon. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I better go help Dr. Halsey." She said quietly as she walked away. Devon saw her hologram slowly walk away. He was slightly concerned. She had been acting funny for a while now. She was usually high spirited and yelling at him for making stupid moves in battle that nearly get him killed. He just shook it off and assumed she was having an off day.

"You look amazing." Said Anna's voice from behind him. He turned and saw her standing and admiring his wings. He took his helmet off and clipped it to his leg plate. "It's a gift I have. Amazing comes naturally to me." Anna giggled. She walked up to Devon and wrapped her arms around him. Devon knelt down and did the same. She quietly said, "I'm scared." "Scared of what, Hun?" He asked her. She replied, "That you aren't going to come back." Devon gave a light laugh. "This will be cake. I've been on missions four times as tough as this one." "I don't doubt that," Anna said, "but that doesn't mean I won't worry about you. After what happened to you in the Palace…, I don't know, it just scared me I guess." Devon replied calmly. "You don't have to worry about that, I'm back in my armor. Nothing's getting to me now."

Dr. Halsey was quickly going over a few last minute things on her computer before her Spartan's were sent out into battle again. "Dokuro, can you access my classified files for me please?" Dokuro didn't respond. Dr. Halsey looked up. She saw Dokuro standing with a blank expression. Her hands were balled into fists and they were trembling. Dr. Halsey looked at what Dokuro was focused on. She saw that she was watching Devon and Anna hug. Dr. Halsey sighed and said. "Dokuro, you're going to have to let this go." The A.I. snapped out of her trance and turned to face Dr. Halsey. "Let what go?" She asked trying to hide her problem. Dr. Halsey sighed and said, "I know what you're going through. You're going to have to get it worked out before you let this get to you more than it already has. It won't be good for you in combat." Dokuro sighed. She collected herself and said, "I'm sorry. It's just hard watching her getting close to him." Dr. Halsey motioned her towards a small holo pad mounted to the table where she was working. Dokuro nodded and transferred herself into the device. Dr. Halsey began typing away at her computer at lightning quick speeds and said, "I may have a solution to this."

Dokuro could feel her systems being tampered with. She instantly began to worry. "Ma'am, you aren't eliminating my emotions are you!? I don't want to lose them, their the closest thing I have to feeling real!" "It's alright." Dr. Halsey said, "I'm just toning down your jealousy. I'm not going to eliminate it but I am turning it down significantly. It should help with this problem you're having." Dokuro regained her composure. "I understand. Thank you." "It's no problem." Dr. Halsey told her as she reset some of Dokuro's programming. Dokuro gasped and her eyes widened. She could feel the changes in her system reset and it made her processes run wild. Within an instant it was over and she could feel herself returning to normal. "Do you feel better?" Dr. Halsey asked. Dokuro quickly scanned herself and examined all of her thought processes. She looked at Devon and Anna. The two were still standing next to each other, Devon was still obviously flirting. It was strange, it now had no effect on her, nothing to the extent that would piss her off anyway. She could now go as far as saying that she felt happy for her Spartan. She looked back at Dr. Halsey and gave her usual cheerful smile and said, "I do feel better." Her hologram reappeared to her normal human height. Dr. Halsey stood and walked over to her A.I. She held her hand on Dokuro's hologram and patted her on the head. She couldn't physically touch her but she thought it would be the next best thing. Dokuro had always been one of her personal favorite A.I.'s, in her ranking of favorites, probably her next favorite after Cortana. "Go get linked up with Devon, you'll have to head out soon." Dokuro nodded and smiled. "Of course." She said politely as she walked over towards the others.

Dokuro walked over to Devon. He smiled at her as she approached. It was something that always made her feel special, just being able to see her Spartan smile at her. "Ready to kick some ass?" Devon asked her. "I don't really have a choice now do I?" Dokuro asked with a grin.

From across the room Devon and Eric heard Dr. Halsey calling them. "Oh boy's, won't you be needing these?" The two looked over and saw Dr. Halsey holding their A.I.'s chips. "Those might help." Eric said as he and Devon walked over to Dr. Halsey.

While she had a few seconds to herself, Dokuro approached Anna. Anna turned and faced her. She didn't look that thrilled to be talking to her again. Dokuro couldn't really blame her. The A.I. sighed and said, "I want to apologize for earlier. I was out of line, and out of discipline towards a civilian." Anna replied, "Its fine, I understand." Dokuro continued, "Still, I just wanted to clear things up between us before we left again. I don't want you thinking I was bitch, and don't say I wasn't because I know I can be." Anna smiled and said, "I don't hold grudges, even with A.I.'s. I know why you were upset and I don't hold anything against you. Just promise me one thing." "What is it?" Dokuro asked. Anna sighed with worry. She continued, "Just watch over him while you're out there." Dokuro Smiled. "I always do.

The bases loud speaker came on. "Attention, all Assault and Heavy Assault teams, prepare for deployment. Report to hanger bay's one through seven for transport." A few seconds later, a private COM opened. "Ma'am, we're ready for them." "Understood." Dr. Halsey replied. She looked at her Spartan's and said, "That's you."

Devon held out Dokuro's chip and she transferred herself inside. He looked at Anna and said, "Will you come to see me off?" She nodded and said, "Of course." Eric turned to face Yuna. He held her chip out in front of her and said, "Ready, Yu? She looked up at him and said, "I suppose you're going to take me on another crazy adventure." Eric held her chip out and said, "You know you love the places I take you." Yuna smiled. "Just be glad I tolerate you as much as I do." She held her hand above the data crystal of her chip and her hologram vanished into the device. She came online and her chip began to glow its usual neon blue. Eric reached around and put her chip into the slot on his helmet. He felt her interface with his mind and felt the all too familiar feeling of vertigo as she came online with him. He heard her in his mind. She said. "It's good to be back." Eric replied, "Oh god, the voices in my head are back." "Oh shut up!" She yelled. "You know you missed me!"

Eric and Devon made the wings of their Angel Packs fold back into the pack. They then followed Dr. Halsey and Anna as they all boarded the elevator and headed for the surface. After the short ride they emerged into a hanger with ten Pelican drop ships and a large number of ODST platoons all waiting to be deployed. The four headed over to a Pelican where a group of Helljumper's were waiting for them.

He recognized the one. The all too familiar battle damaged, jet black armor with the anime school girl painted on his helmet and shoulder plates. It was Field Commander Anthony Calabrese. He had seen him when he first arrived at the base several days ago but the two never really had the time to talk and swap war stories. Calabrese took his helmet off and saluted. He had short cut dark brown hair and thin framed glasses that he wore under his helmet. His overall features were clean cut and he clearly looked Italian minus the accent.

Eric and Devon returned the salute. Calabrese said. "Looks like you'll be dropping with us then. This will be my first time dropping into hell with Spartan's. I look forward to it." Eric nodded. "So do I. I can't wait to get back out there." Calabrese motioned to his squad and they all hopped into the back of the Pelican. Calabrese put his helmet back on and said, "Let's go kick some ass!" "I'm game!" Eric replied as he hopped in the Pelican.

Devon took his helmet off and went to Anna. He knelt down and said, "I'll be right back, ok." Anna nodded and forced a smile. "She instantly embraced him and he did the same to her. With a shaky voice she said, "Just promise me that you'll come back." Devon smiled and told her reassuringly, "I promise, there's nothing they can throw at me that I can't get past." He quickly gave Anna a kiss then headed for the Pelican. Before he boarded, he turned to Dr. Halsey. "Make sure she's safe here. Don't let anything happen while where not around to take care of it." She replied, "You know damn well she's in safe hands." "Good!" He said as he put his helmet back on and hopped aboard the Pelican.

The drop ship slowly started to rise and hover above the hanger floor. Anna stood and watched as the back hatch doors slowly closed. She watched and took in every last memory as she saw Devon and Eric disappear behind the armored rear hatch. The Pelican's thruster's powered up and the ship glided out of the hanger and flew off for the remains of the city.

Dr. Halsey walked up to Anna. She knew what was going through her mind. It wasn't the first time she had seen the Marines girlfriends and wives watch their men leave for battle. She smiled and said, "Come on dear, let's go back inside and find you something to do. It will help to take your mind off of things." Anna nodded and turned. As her and Dr. Halsey headed for the elevator, she turned one last time and watched as the Pelican that Devon and Eric were on, fade from view. "They'll be fine." Dr. Halsey told her calmly.

Izumi's mind was going at one thousand thoughts per second. Her thoughts were constantly filling her head with anxiety of her planets safety. She could personally care less what happened to her in the hands of the Covenant. Even she knew that if anything happened to her, that this ship that housed the prophet would be instantly attacked. However, she found her thoughts constantly reverting back to Kalder. She watched as he was attacked while trying to save her. He had been wounded badly and she didn't even know what condition he was in. It made her feel even worse that the person that she began to have feelings for was hurt because of her. She just wanted to see him again. She wanted him to embrace her and to tell her everything is fine. She tried to calm her mind.

The energy barrier on her prison cell deactivated and four brute chieftains walked into the room she was being held in. Izumi sat up on the small piece of alloy in her cell that she assumed was a bed. She held a stern look at her captors; she wasn't going to let them break her. What she assumed was the head chieftain said harshly to her. "Stand!" Izumi scoffed. "You know how to treat a lady, don't you." "Quiet!" The chieftain growled. It approached her and forcefully put her arms in an energy brace to keep her from fighting back. "You are not to make another sound until you are brought before the Prophet." Izumi held a blank expression on her face as the brutes led her out of her cell.

She was escorted past other holding cells. Rogue jackals and grunts clawed and lunged at the energy barriers of their cells as she walked by. Izumi didn't even flinch. She knew that the Covenant would be fools to kill her. She had already assumed that when she wasn't killed on the spot. It was a known fact that the Covenant rarely took prisoners.

They escorted her out of the detention area and into the dark, purple corridors of the ship. To her it was a maze of hallways and rooms. The massive ship was easily the size of the Twilight if not larger. She eventually lost count of how many different hallways and gravity lifts that she was led through. Eventually she noticed areas becoming more heavily guarded. She assumed that she was getting closer to the Prophet.

Up ahead she saw a large window that looked out into space. As they walked past she stopped and looked out at her planet. The ship's orbit was right over Eclipse. She could see a large blanket of smoke and ash filling the sky above her city, and a ring of darkness surrounding it from the lack of power. Izumi let out a heavy breath and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but feel sorrow for her world.

"Walk human!" A brute shouted as it forcefully shoved Izumi on her back. She lost balance and fell to the floor of the ship. She landed hard and let out a grunt of pain. The Chancellor slowly lifted herself off of the metal floor and sat for a few seconds on the ship's deck. The sudden fall had stunned her. "Stand!" The brute ordered. Izumi slowly tried to get back to her feet. "I said stand, human!" The brute roared as it forcefully grabbed Izumi by her arm and lifted her off of the deck. Izumi gave a yelp of pain from the brutes iron strong grip.

She heard a bang, followed by the brute roaring in pain and falling to the deck. "How dare you touch this human! It is meant for the Prophet's hands and no one else's!" The head chieftain shouted as it lowered a weapon. It had shot the opposing brute in the spine with a round from a Mauler. Izumi regained her footing and looked at the wounded brute as it laid thrashing around on the deck of the ship while its blood seeped out of the wound in its back. "Let him be an example to the rest of you. No one is to lay a finger on this human until she is brought before the Prophet." It approached Izumi and towered over her. "Now human, walk. And as for him," it said as it approached the wounded brute. "The Prophet will hear of your actions and you will be dealt with." "What shall we do with him?" Another of the brutes asked. The chieftain turned and said, "Leave him."

The Brutes again started to walk leaving the wounded alien behind. Izumi closed her eyes and frowned as she was escorted. She couldn't believe the brutality she was seeing. "Your race is so barbaric." She said in a monotone voice. The head chieftain let out an almost mocking laugh. It replied, "We have no place for those who disobey orders. What you just witnessed is only a small taste of what awaits you." Izumi scoffed. "If any harm comes to me, wave after wave of UNSC forces will be on top of you in an instant." "We shall see." The brute said as it led them through a large door that was guarded by several lines of honor guards.

Inside was a large enclosed room with a small holo panel floating in the center. The chieftain touched one of the symbols on the holo pad and the floor began to rise. It was a large elevator that looked like it led up a shaft that was several thousand feet high. She stood and watched as the platform rose higher up passing the occasional viewports that looked out over several larger rooms in the ship. Inside she would catch glances of large troop formations being loaded into drop ships and flying through energy barriers out into space. More ground troops most likely, she thought to herself.

The platform came to a halt in front of a large door that was ornately decorated with glowing patterns of light. It almost resembled a large stained glass window. The door made a low pitched tone sound and the patterns of light flashed. It slowly began to part open revealing a long walkway lined with more honor guards and a large purple door at the opposite end.

As she was led down the walkway she could see all of the Covenant honor guards staring at her. All were brutes. In fact, she hadn't seen a single elite since she was brought aboard. Maybe the Prophet didn't trust elites anymore. She thought. She heard several of them give low grows as she walked by. She ignored it. There was too much for her to worry about then a few brutes that hated her.

When they arrived at the door at the end of the hall they were stopped by two brute honor guards in black armor. Izumi's guess was that they were some type of Special Forces for the Prophet. The one said in its harsh voice. "I see you have brought the one they call Chancellor. The Higher Arc is waiting inside." The brute that was escorting Izumi nodded its head and the door opened. Izumi was led inside a large room lined with holo panels and a large panoramic window that over looked Aurora. Outside she could see countless Covenant and UNSC ships battling one another with the occasional explosion that would send a muffled boom through the ship. She assumed she was on the bridge.

The brutes walked in and kneeled. The head chieftain said calmly, "Noble Prophet of Redemption. We have brought the leader of the planet." The Prophet's hovering throne slowly rotated and Izumi for the first time saw a Covenant Prophet. It sat hunched over in a deep blue robe with a large golden head piece that decorated its body. Its throne slowly hovered towards the brutes and Izumi. The Prophet spoke in its aged voice, "You may leave us, and take your brutes with you." The brute barked an order to its troops in its native tongue and then replied to the Prophet. "As you wish Holy One." Izumi slowly turned and watched as the brutes left the room and saw as the large door sealed shut behind them. She was now left alone with the one thing that the UNSC wanted dead the most.

"Step forward." The prophet said to her. Izumi slowly turned to face the Prophet. Without replying she slowly approached the Prophet. It watched her as she approached. She walked with her elegant blue and silver dress gliding silently over the ship's deck and her face showed no sign of fear or concern.

Izumi stopped several feet away from the Prophet. She stood not moving a muscle or changing any facial expression. The Prophet continued. "There is much that our races can learn from one another you know." Izumi replied calmly. "Obviously not or we wouldn't be at war with your race." "This small conflict is only the beginning of a new chapter in our Covenant. We're merely brushing at the tip but soon we will have unearthed the greatest find in our history!" Izumi looked at the prophet and asked. "What find?" The Prophet slowly looked back at Izumi and said, "Don't try to hide it. You and I both know of what your planet hides." Izumi gave a silent gasp and her forest green eyes widened. The prophet took note of her change in expression. "So you are aware." It said in a low voice. "You know of what secrets lay below the surface of your world, and so do we." "How!?" Izumi yelled out. "The Prophet's thrown slowly spun and faced out the large panoramic window of the ship. He looked out into space and at the large planet of Aurora. He continued. "The gods have prophesized about this moment for over a millennia. All of what we find from them on the other planets have led us to this one miniscule planet. A planet which will give us even more of an upper hand in this conflict than ever before."

Izumi frowned. "So, that answers my question as to what the attack in only one major area of the city was for." The Prophet laughed and said, "An attack? What you witnessed several days ago when we first arrived wasn't an attack; that was merely a scouting party sent to give me an exact location of what I was looking for." She didn't know how to respond. The first attack that this Prophet called a scouting party nearly destroyed the entire city of Eclipse. The Prophet looked back out into space and continued. "Do you see? All of these ships that are now arriving. This is but a small fraction of the power I could descend upon your world. And now that the drilling is complete, we are able to begin unearthing our greatest discovery." She knew what he meant, and she now knew what they were after. Doing her best to keep her self control she replied, "Even if you were to find the entrance, there would be no way that you could find the location. Only the descendants of, Them can gain access to what you're after." Still staring deep out into space, the Prophet replied, "And that, is why you are needed." Izumi sternly replied. "I would never help you. Especially with what you're after."

The Prophet calmly asked. "Aren't you even curious as to why you're even still alive? Wouldn't you think that we could have ended your pathetic life in an instant if we didn't have use for you?" Izumi shot back. "I would rather die than help you! I would never turn my back on my world!" Izumi raised her energy braces above her head and readied herself to bring them down on the Prophet. She yelled out as she lunged forward preparing for a forceful blow. The Prophet instantly hit a small button on its throne. Izumi stopped. Her energy braces popped and she felt power surge through her. She yelled out in pain and collapsed to the floor. She sat on the floor clutching her hand to her chest. She was breathing heavily and had tears of pain streaming down her cheeks. "That was a most foolish decision; much like the rest of your race, too quick to take action without thinking of the consequences."

Izumi sat on her knees. Her head was lowered and she tried to shake the effects of the shock. She replied in a low voice, "A foolish decision huh? You made your own when you had me captured. Right now you have every gun in the UNSC pointed at your head. I can't wait to see the look on your face when the Spartan's are sent in to rescue me." The Prophet's throne hovered over to Izumi. It leaned over and looked at her and said, "The one's that your military call Spartan's, are no match for the might of our Covenant. Haven't you noticed how few their numbers are and how many we have made fall in battle?" Izumi knew that there were only a handful of Spartan's left. She managed a sly smile. Still clutching her chest, she looked at the Prophet and said, "That may be, but when they die at your hands they always seem to take thousands of you with them; that, and I know of three Spartan's right now that you should be worrying about. I would hate to be in your place when they come aboard your ship to finish you off."

"Is that so?" The Prophet remarked. "I know of the three you speak of. Two of them could barely stand up against a mere Theta, and if they were to step foot on this ship, they would be instantly overwhelmed and killed." Izumi frowned. "You think so highly of yourself don't you? You're not going to be able to hide behind your guards forever. The Spartan's will get onto this ship, they will rescue me, and they will kill you." "You should count your blessings while you still can," The prophet replied. "because if we didn't need you to unearth the creation of the god's below your planet, you would be long dead by now." Izumi replied in a cold voice, "My world will never unearth its secrets to you, and it never will." "Speak wisely," The Prophet told her, "for once we finish here, your world will be no more. We will boil away every drop of water in your oceans, burn every last forest, and slaughter every last being who still breaths on its surface." The Prophet leaned towards Izumi and got within inches of her face. "Your world will burn until its surface is but glass, and not even those wretched demons that you call Spartan's will live to oppose us."

Izumi struggled to keep her anger in check. She was standing face to face with the leader of the force that was attacking her world and she was powerless to do anything. She heard the doors behind her open and heard the brutes return. She didn't even bother to turn to face them. The Prophet continued, "You are to return to the detention area. When we rid the dig site of all of the worthless humans I will send for you, and you Will cooperate and lead us to what the holy ones left behind." Izumi spun on her heel. Her blue and silver dress flowed around her body as she turned. She said in a cold voice, "I'll never lead you to Them." She shoved two brutes out of her way and began walking for the exit of the Prophet's chamber. Her escorts began to follow beside her and headed back for the detention level.

As they walked, the head chieftain that brought her to the Prophet said, "You speak with disrespect to our holy Prophet. If the holy one didn't have use for you I would have seen to it that you were long dead." Izumi replied back coldly, "Just shut up, I could care less about what you want to do with me right now. You're apparently forgetting that I have an entire military armada aimed at this ship right now. You're all as good as dead anyway by the end of this war. Your Prophet's words can't stop a full out attack from my fleet of ships." The brute growled and forced Izumi against the ships purple alloy wall. It pulled its brute shot off of its back and held the large bayonet of the weapon to Izumi's throat. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Izumi's calm eyes were now filled with rare anger. She looked at the brute, not caring about the weapon held to her throat. "What's stopping you? Afraid of killing me and having to answer to your Prophet as to why he can't proceed with the mission he came here for in the first place because you killed his only link to his goal?" The brute growled and slung the weapon on its back. It grabbed Izumi by the arm and forced her to walk. She started to walk again and the 3 brutes followed close by. She said in a monotone voice, "Enjoy this while you can, because believe me, it will be short lived."


	25. THE PITT

It's back to the fight for the Spartan's. Enjoy.

(CHAPTER 25) THE PITT

A large formation of Pelican drop ships and Longsword Fighters were flying towards the ruins of Eclipse. The deserted city sat lifeless and in shambles as the formation flew overhead towards the Drill Ship. Eric stood in the cockpit of the Pelican he and Devon were riding in. He looked out at the war torn city ahead as they approached. Towering skyscrapers stood half destroyed with jagged steel beams twisting out from their structures. Below was a sea of abandoned vehicles and items left from when the citizens of Aurora evacuated. The sight was eerie to say the least.

"We're about thirty five minutes out." The pilot said. "Feel free to relax for a while if you want." Eric nodded and headed for the cabin area of the Pelican. He saw Devon sitting with his helmet off and making adjustments to his sniper rifle. He adjusted one of the sight knobs on the rifles large scope then lifted the weapon up to firing position to check the settings. Devon lowered the weapon and said, "The Covenant likes to dig big ass holes, I like to shoot big ass guns." Eric sat down on the seat opposite to Devon. He motioned up to the weapon that was attached to a rack above his seat. Devon looked and saw a Shotgun. He grinned and said, "You love those things don't you?" Eric replied, "I prefer the up close and personal approach." Devon fed a fresh clip into his rifle and said, "That's good, seeing as how you can't snipe worth a damn." Eric cracked a smile. "I just don't want to make you look bad when we're out there is all."

A small screen mounted to the front of the Pelican's interior flashed on. General Smith appeared on the monitor. "It's good to see you two suited up and ready for combat." Eric and Devon stood and saluted. "As ready as we'll ever be General." Devon replied. "Good to hear." Smith said. "Stand by for orders."

A computer generated image of the drill site appeared on the monitor. It did a panoramic view while text and measurements of the area flashed across the screen. Smith continued. "As you are well aware, the Covenant is after something deep below the surface. We are currently sending in large waves of strike teams to scatter their air support giving you two room to get down there and get to whatever it is that they want first." The image changed and showed dimensions of the hole the ship drilled into the planet's surface. "As you can see, you have a long way down. This hole is 1.2 miles across by 6.3 miles deep. We still don't have any Intel as to what's at the bottom which is why I need you two to report into me as soon as you reach the bottom. Now that the solar eclipse has passed and the Drill Ship has apparently lost all power to its main weapon, you shouldn't have to worry about it bothering you on your way down." The image again changed to several images of Covenant ships. Smith continued. "However, there is still a large number of Banshee's and Phantoms that will have to be dealt with. Our air support will draw their fire as best it can while you two head for the bottom. Finally we need to make sure that…" Smith was cut off by a separate transmition. "General!" One of the pilots called out over the COM channel. "The Drill Ship is moving position; repeat, the Drill Ship is moving position!"

On the bridge of the Raven, General Smith immediately went to the ships front viewport. "Shana!" He called out. His A.I. appeared with her glowing embers fluttering around her figure. "Sir?" She said. Smith called out. "Track that ships exact movements, tell me exactly where it's heading. If that ship is heading to another of the planet's cities we're all screwed!" Shana's bright fire orange eyes stared towards the surface of Aurora. She focused on the Drill Ship's exact location. She found her target and locked onto it. She studied its movements and predicted its path. She turned towards General Smith and said, "Sir, the ship appears to be leaving the planet." "What?" Smith said as he again looked towards the surface of Aurora.

Smith opened the ship's COM channel. He called out. "Commander Bowley, ready all ships in orbit for a possible engagement with the Drill Ship. I'm still focused on the Prophet's ship and my fleet is not about to turn its back on that bastard." "Understood General." Bowley replied.

Bowley watched as the ship began to rise higher into the sky. Rika looked out of The Twilights main view port and studied the ships movements. "Sir, the ship is passing through the upper atmosphere. In about ninety seconds it will be in orbit." She reported. Bowley looked out towards Aurora. He could see the large ship heading towards the heavens even in space due to its massive size. "Track its path!" Bowley ordered. Rika nodded and focused back on the ship. "Commander Bowley to General Smith, requesting permission to engage the Drill Ship in low orbit." "Negative!" Smith replied, "We don't know if it has any other sort of defense system. " "Dammit!" Bowley cursed as he pounded his fist against the bridges wall.

"Sir, the Drill Ship will be entering orbit roughly fifty to one hundred miles from our position. We have a 76% chance of a collision if they decide to change course towards us." Bowley looked out of the viewport and saw the large saucer shaped ship rising higher and getting uneasily close to their location. "Hard reverse thrusters!" Bowley ordered. "Yes Sir." Rika responded. The large ship shuddered as its thrusters kicked on. Bowley ran to the front viewport and looked out towards the rising ship. It still looked like it was getting uneasily close.

Bowley heard General Smith yell to him over the ships COM channel. "Bowley, get your damn ship out of there now!" "What do you think I'm doing!?" He yelled back in frustration. Several seconds later, the Drill Ship breached the outer atmosphere and entered the planets orbit. Bowley watched as his ships viewport was overtaken by the sheer size of the Drill Ship. It was about fifty miles from his ships location. To uneasily close for his liking.

Rika turned to Commander Bowley and said in a panic, "Sir, I'm picking up a high energy reading, they must be getting ready for a slip space jump." "Keep backing us away!" Bowley ordered. It was as Rika predicted. Ahead of the Drill Ship an area of space began to spark and glow with white energy as the massive ship opened up a slip space rupture. Bowley could feel his ship being pulled towards it. "Increase reverse thruster power!" He shouted. He called out over the UNSC's alert COM channel. "Attention all ships, the Drill ship is entering slip space, repeat, the Drill Ship is entering slip space!"

Bowley could feel the Twilight being pulled towards the Drill Ship's massive slip space rupture. It was sucking his ship towards it like a vacuum. He had never seen a slip space rupture that had such force. Meanwhile, Rika fought to control the Twilight. She processed countless thoughts and calculations to try and pull the ship away from this vacuum effect. Warning lights began to scream throughout the ship. She detected dangerous levels of hull strain and began to pickup signals of damage all over the Twilight. She quickly pulled up a holographic layout of the ship in front of her figure and frantically studied it. "Commander," She called out in a panic. "Hull strain is reaching dangerous levels and I'm picking up countless areas of the ship that are being torn apart!" "Keep pulling us away!" Bowley shouted. Rika replied, "Sir, if we keep in reverse thrust, this force is going to tear the ship apart and we're all going to die." "There's no other option Rika!" He shouted. One of this ship's pilots called out. "Commander, we're picking up breaches in the hull from the strain. We can't keep holding on like this!" "You're gonna have too!" Bowley shouted. Rika tried to keep calm. She replied, "Commander, we have one other option." "What is it!?" Bowley shouted. Rika looked towards the Drill Ship as bright white light began to surround it. She continued. "We go through with it."

"Have you lost it Rika!? We don't even know where their heading!" Warning sirens continued to scream throughout the ship. The tiny A.I. replied, "With all due respect Commander, given our current situation, we don't have that many other options. It's either get torn apart here or go through and have a shot at getting out of this alive." Bowley stood silent for a few tense seconds as he thought of what to do. He glanced at one of the ships status monitors and saw just how much damage the Twilight was taking. He flopped down in his captain's chair and sighed. He motioned to Rika and said quietly, "Do it. Jump through to slip space with that thing." Rika silently nodded as she began to maneuver the large capital ship towards the Drill Ship.

The Twilight accelerated and sped towards the massive Covenant ship. Bowley as well as his crew on the bridge watched as they went sailing towards the bright white orb of light. Before his ship went through, he opened up his ship to ship COM and said, "UNSC Capital Ship, The Twilight, jumping to slip space."

Aboard the bridge of the Raven, General Smith could see the silhouette of the Twilight behind the large orb of light. "Don't you do it Bowley!" He yelled out. Commander Bowley frowned and watched as the Drill Ship was enveloped in white light. He could feel his ship being pulled towards it. He frowned and said, "Make the jump, Rika." "Yes Sir." She replied calmly. The Twilight quickly accelerated and instantly disappeared into the massive orb of light.

"Twilight come in! Twilight, this is General Smith respond!" He yelled. All he got back was a reply of static. "Dammit!" He yelled as he slammed his fist down onto one of the ships many control panels. Shana calmly said, "General, I'm unable to track them. If you like I could give you an estimate of the direction that they were heading." Smith sighed. "Don't bother; we don't even know how long that damn ship will be in slip space for." Smith looked back towards the Surface of Aurora. "And besides," He continued. "we still have a job to do."

"Five minutes out!" The pilot of the Pelican said over the COM. The two Spartan's stood and began grabbing their weapons from the racks on the wall of the drop ship. Devon grabbed a Battle Rifle and attached it to the back of his suit and kept his Sniper Rifle out for primary use. Eric grabbed his trusty Shotgun and slung the weapon for secondary use. "You're using it as a side arm!?" Devon asked surprised. Eric grabbed another one of the Sniper Rifles and stocked up on ammo. He fed a fresh clip in and said, "You said it yourself, we're going down into a big ass hole, I might as well take a big ass gun."

All of the troops COM's came on. General Smith's voice was heard. "Attention, all UNSC troops attacking the drill zone, due to recent events, SPARTAN'S 45 and 69 are now in command for the drill zone attack. That is all." Eric and Devon looked at each other. Eric said, "Alright! Finally we get to call the shots." Yuna came on over Devon and Eric's COM's. "Yeah, I don't see this going bad quickly or anything." "Say what you want." Eric said. "But they know the right man for the job when they see it." Devon added. "They must have finally realized our combat tactical genius." "That's what scares me." Dokuro replied.

The back hatch of the Pelican opened. Outside the two Spartan's could see that they were flying over the heavily damaged area of the city. Destroyed structures and mountains of rubble lay piled below them. The landscape suddenly changed. Below went from urban war zone to a field of ashen colored glass. A result from the first few hours of the war when he first arrived on the planet, as well as the massive amount of heat from the Drill Ship's large plasma beam.

Green balls of plasma fire began to fly past the Pelican. Stray fire from the already ensuing air battle could be seen everywhere. From the back hatch of the pelican, the two Spartan's watched as Hornet's, Vulture's and Longsword Fighters shot down Covenant air defenses. Down below, Covenant ground forces were heading towards the direction the Pelican's were flying. "They really don't want us down there." Yuna said. Eric pulled the bolt back on his Sniper Rifle and said, "Oh well, we're going anyway."

The ground below the Pelican suddenly dropped. Below them the ground seemed to just disappear into a deep dark void. "Damn!" Devon said, "That's a big ass hole!" The Pilot said over the COM. "Whenever you're ready boys. Start heading down and we'll be following." Eric and Devon walked towards the back hatch of the Pelican. Eric said to Devon. "You ready for this?" Devon looked down into the deep abyss and said. "No, not really." Eric flexed his legs and said, "Good, me either." With that he vaulted himself out of the back of the Pelican and Devon did the same. The two Spartan's were in freefall as they fell through the sky. When they reached ground level where the hole started on the surface they prepped themselves for flight. Still in a free fall Eric focused his thoughts and he felt his Angel Pack jump. The massive wings spread and his thrusters kicked on. He looked back and saw Devon do the same. "Well that's good!" Yuna said. "They work at least." Eric replied, "Yeah, considering we didn't bother to test them before we left.

Devon and Eric took flight formation and did two duel helixes around each other as they began to descend down into the massive hole. Yuna came on over both Eric and Devon's COM's. "Brutes and Elites with jump packs on the walls. They look like their waiting for you." Eric and Devon pulled out of their dives and began to hover. Devon quickly took aim with his sniper and shot one of the Brutes in its jump pack causing it to explode sending the alien free falling into the darkness below.

The large platoon of Covenant troops vaulted themselves into the air towards Eric and Devon's location. "Way to stir the hornet's nest!" Dokuro said to Devon. He again quickly started popping off troops and replied, "It's fine, I need some target practice." Eric quickly sighted on two Elites that were flying towards him while shooting at him with Carbines. They were easily taken out with quick pops from his sniper rifle. Devon saw a Brute flying towards him. It was laying belly down in the air to get more speed as it flew. It was a major mistake on its part. Flying in that position left its thruster pack open to gunfire. Without even looking through his scope, Devon popped a round into the brutes jump pack. The Brute's pack exploded and the alien tumbled down into the darkness of the hole.

"Got some more friends down below." Yuna reported. Eric looked down and saw waves of Covenant troops on thruster packs as well as Banshee's flying in formation below them. Eric went on over the COM channel and said, "Alright, all troops form up and head down. Kill anything you see." "Roger that Sir." One of the pilots said back. Eric flew over to Devon and said, "Race you down!" and then he quickly began to dive. "You're on!" Devon shot back as he quickly dove after him.

The two Spartan's dove deeper into the large hole dodging plasma fire and Covenant air craft. Aerial plasma mortars began exploding near them. Several managed to partially drain their shields. Eric looked over and saw that it was coming from a large number of Covenant air defense ships that resembled a large version of a Banshee. One of the mortars exploded several feet away from Devon. He quickly folded the wings of his Angel Pack around his body and let them take the hit. The packs shields dropped dangerously low but his battle suits shields remained fully charged. Devon quickly unfolded his wings and flew towards the ship. "You bastards!" He yelled out, "These wings are new!" He quickly flew towards the ship that was firing at him and unloaded a clip from his sniper rifle into its engines. The craft's motors began to spew black smoke and dropped like a rock into the darkness below.

Eric looked at the formation of Banshee's flying around his area. In between his shots with his Sniper Rifle, he shouted an order over his COM. "Hornet Pilots, open fire on all Banshee's." "Yes Sir!" Several pilots replied back.

Eric did a quick dive towards a group of Brutes he saw using thruster packs. Four of them leapt from a Phantom and flew towards a formation of Hornets. Eric pulled up his Sniper Rifle and quickly took aim. He squeezed the trigger and killed the first Brute. He quickly followed suit and sighted on the other three. With each squeeze of the trigger he called out over his COM to make sure Devon heard. "Double! Triple! Over kill!" He shouted as he brought down all four Brutes with one clip. He looked up at Devon. "Oh! What now Devo!?" Devon hovered in the air holding his Sniper Rifle at his side. Without looking away from Eric he quickly raised the weapon with one hand and shot a round randomly to his right. The round managed to puncture the thin side alloy of a Banshee and kill the pilot. The small craft quickly tumbled into the darkness below as Devon replied back with sarcasm. "OH!! What now bitch!" Eric hovered for a few seconds, not saying anything. Yuna began to laugh hysterically from what she had just witnessed. Eric finally said, "No one cares!" and then flew off. "That's right!" Devon yelled back.

"Phantom inbound on your current position 45." A pilot called out. Eric looked up and saw a Phantom in a nose dive heading for him. "You might wanna move!" Yuna yelled. "Working on it!" Eric said as he flew away from the diving craft. The Phantom slowed and began to hover. Its side hatch doors opened and a large platoon on Grunts and, Elites began to open fire. Devon quickly maneuvered himself and began to pick off as many of the Elites and Grunts as he could with head shots. On the other side of the Phantom, Eric began to take fire from a plasma turret. He quickly shielded himself with the wings of his Angel Pack and tried to take aim. Above him, he saw an Elite on a thruster pack shooting at one of the Hornets. He quickly flew up and latched himself onto the alien. He wrapped his arm around the alien's neck and with his free hand took its plasma grenades. "I need these more then you!" He said as he took the grenades for himself. The then quickly snapped the Elites neck and watched its lifeless body fly off wildly on its out of control thruster pack.

Eric flew back towards the Phantom. "I could use some help here!" Devon called to him. "I'm working on it." Eric said as he primed a Plasma Grenade. He whipped it at the Phantoms open side hatch and watch as the device stuck to one of the Grunts. The small alien thrashed itself around wildly as it tried to get the device off. Some of the troops inside jumped off of the Phantom in a panic while other's tried to get away. The grenade detonated in a brilliant blue flash. Almost instantly after, it set off a chain of explosions from other weaponry stored on the ship. A few seconds later, the Phantom exploded in a bright blue flash and its ruble crashed into the deep pit below. Eric looked at Devon and said, "OH!! Took out a Phantom with one grenade!" Eric preceded to do a little victory dance while hovering. Devon looked at him and said, "Yeah? Well one Phantom only counts as one kill!" Eric fed a fresh clip into his Sniper Rifle and said to himself. "Yeah, he's jealous of my skills."

Dokuro opened her own private COM up to Yuna. "It's happening again Yuna, their getting competitive." Yuna sighed and said, "I know, just let it run its course." While their A.I.'s did enjoy watching their Spartan's get into their missions, when they got competitive with one another it often got them into situations where death became a very likely outcome. "You two always have to show off don't you?" Dokuro said calmly to Devon. While popping off rounds from his Sniper Rifle, Devon replied, "We're not showing off, we're comparing skills. As you can see, mine are infinitely better." "Really?" Dokuro said with sarcasm. "Yes really." Devon replied. "I see." Dokuro said. She hummed to herself for a few seconds and then said, "Well, are your skills good enough to tell you when you're about to be ran over from above by a large object?" Devon replied, not taking his focus away from his sniper scope. "Of course; that's why I'm as awesome as I am." "Then why aren't we moving out of the way!?" Dokuro yelled. A pilot's voice yelled over his COM. "Incoming heavy drop ship!" Devon looked up and saw a massive Covenant drop ship quickly descending down towards his location. He yelled out, "Shit!" as he flew out of the way of the large craft. "You were saying?" Dokuro asked.

"Incoming Ghoul." Yuna reported. Eric looked over and saw the massive Covenant drop ship quickly descending into the depths of the hole. The Ghoul was a large drop ship that could deploy upwards of two thousand Covenant ground troops as well as carry vehicles such as Ghost's and Wraith's. "If their after something down there, I suggest you take that ship out before it makes it to the ground because I'm guessing you want this mission to have as few snags as possible." Yuna told him seriously.

Eric opened his COM. "Attention, all Longsword Fighter's! Focus all fire on the Ghoul, do not let it reach the bottom before we do!" "Understood Sir, beginning attack run now." The large drop ship quickly descended deeper into the pit. "Devo, form up and prepare to dive." Eric ordered. "On my way." He replied. Devon quickly formed up with Eric and the two dove deep into the pit giving chase to the Ghoul. The two Spartans put there Angel Packs to maximum burn and their velocity quickly sped up. A cloud of air popped from their suits as the two broke the sound barrier. They could see the drop ship below them and aimed themselves for its roof.

From above, a pilot called out, "Longswords inbound." Three Longsword fighters flew past the two Spartans and gave chase towards the large drop ship. "Firing HAVOK missiles." The pilot called out. Devon and Eric watched as three of the large missiles sailed towards the drop ship. Several seconds later they exploded in three large mushroom clouds. The Ghoul was enveloped in blue plasma fire and then exploded and crashed to the depths below. "Yeah! Suck on that you bastards!" One of the Longsword pilots called out.

"Yuna, how far are we from the bottom?" Eric asked. "You've got a little over a mile left. And just so you know, a few Covenant troops did make it past us so you're going to have to do a little cleanup when you land." "Nothing, I can't handle." Eric said. He opened up his COM and said, "Flyer's, how's the surface looking?" A few seconds later another pilot replied. "We managed to get a good portion of the area under UNSC control. We have AA Batteries on the way and we'll have full air defense operational within the hour." "Good," Eric replied, "We're about to hit the bottom. We'll keep you updated."

Devon opened him COM. "All ODST platoons, you're with me and SPARTAN-45. Continue descent and prepare for landing." Devon opened his COM to Eric, "What the hell would they be after that's this deep?" "No clue." Eric said, "But I'm making sure that we get to it first."

Down below Eric could finally see the bottom. The surface was covered with rough, jagged rocks that were encased in ashen colored glass. The intense heat from the Drill Ship's pulse beam left most of the area it touched charred and glass covered. In fact, most of the rocks down at the bottom were still smoking and some were even glowing red.

Eric finally set down on the ground. He instantly heard the sound of glass breaking as his heavy armor touched the surface. The wings of his Angel pack folded themselves up and stored back inside the pack on the back of his suit. The light was very low down at the bottom of the 6 mile deep pit. He turned his helmets flash light on and looked around. All he could see was the charred, jagged surface. "All clear." He said. Devon landed shortly after followed by several Pelican's that were transporting troops of Helljumper's.

The back hatch of one of the Pelican's opened and a platoon of ten ODST's jumped out and stepped onto the glassy surface. One of them was Field Commander Calabrese. He walked up to Eric and said, "Well this is interesting; any idea what we're looking for down here?" Eric surveyed the area trying to find any traces of Covenant activity. "No clue. Have your troops scout the area. Radio in if you find anything." "Yes Sir." He said as he headed back for his troops. Eric walked around and met up with Devon. "Find anything aside from rocks and glass?" Devon asked. Eric shook his head. "Nothing." Eric looked around and then said, "Yuna, you said that you picked up a massive energy spike from somewhere underground. Which direction did you pick it up from?" Yuna put a NAV marker on his HUD and said, "It was somewhere in this area, only several more miles down." Eric looked at Devon and said, "Well, if I had to guess, that's the direction that the Covenant is heading." He opened his COM and said, "All troops, form up and head east. Try and spread out and keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious."

Eric followed the NAV marker. The only thing that he passed that was different from the surrounding landscape was the occasional splattered body of a Covenant troop that had fallen or the remains of a ship. Occasionally the wreckage of a destroyed Banshee or Hornet could be seen falling into the distance and would make a muffled crash sound as it impacted.

"Hey, I found foot prints in the glass." One of the ODST's called out over the COM. Eric and Devon went to his location and looked at what he had found. Several lines of what looked like an Elites hoof prints were in the broken glass. There were a large number of them leading towards the wall of the pit. "Be on high alert." Devon said over the teams COM. "Are you picking up anything Dokuro?" She replied, "Nothing other than our own movement. Whatever made those tracks is long gone."

The team had followed the tracks for a good fifteen minutes until they reached the pits jagged walls. "There," Yuna reported, "Right on the other side of these rocks." Eric and Devon moved ahead. There were several large rocks piles in front of them. The two spread the wings of their Angel Packs and quickly flew to the top of the rubble pile. Devon was stunned. "Holy shit." He said to himself. Eric looked on at the sight before him and said, "Well, we found what they were after."

Ahead of them in the dark was a large doorway that was at least one hundred feet tall. It almost looked like a large cavern. This cavern however wasn't a natural formation. The walls around it and even the area outside in the pit was made of metal with symbols and geometric patterns in it. Eric opened his COM. "Command, we found what they're after."


	26. STORMING THE FORTRESS

Sorry for the delay. I've been busy getting ready for college to start up again.

Special thanks to those who have been dropping me new reviews. I don't get that many for this story but oh well. As long as people still read what I write, that's all I care about.

Enjoy.

(CHAPTER 26) STORMING THE FORTRESS

The two Spartan's approached the entrance to the cavern. There was no illumination inside the massive tunnel, only the dark metal walls that lead deeper into the interior of the planet. "Dude, your planet just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Devon said slowly as he walked up to Eric. Not taking his focus away from their discovery, Eric replied, "Tell me about it, I didn't even know this was down here."

The large group of ODST's walked up to the Spartan's. Calabrese walked up beside Eric and said. "Well Sir, I wasn't planning on something like this; any suggestions for orders?" Eric replied still not taking his focus away from the caverns. "Yeah, have half of your troop's guard this entrance, you and the other half are going in with me and Devon." Anthony nodded and then opened up his COM. "Alright men, platoons one through six, you're stationed out here at the entrance, don't let anything past you. As for the rest of you, you're going down with me and the Spartan's." Calabrese heard several replies of "Yes Sir." From his squad leaders and watched as the guard teams took formation around the cavern entrance. The Helljumper's in their black combat suits took positions behind rocks and rubble and blended in with their surroundings completely out of sight. Calabrese looked at Eric and said, "They'll watch our backs for us. We should be fine for having nothing following us down." "Good." Eric replied as he hopped down the rocky slope and walked towards the cavern entrance.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think it's the best idea to head down there without at least some heavy weaponry. Who knows what's down there or how far down it goes." Yuna said with her usual sassy voice. Eric looked at the tunnel and said. "Looks like I better be extra careful and get started heading in now then." "Or!" Yuna replied, "You can wait a few minutes for the equipment drop Dokuro and I called in for you guys." Dokuro cut in over the two Spartan's COM and said, "Speaking of which, here it comes now." Eric and Devon looked up and saw a large number of Pelican's bringing down vehicles. Dokuro continued, "For the Helljumper's we called in for ten Warthog's, six with the standard chain gun and the other four with the Gauss Cannon, fifteen Mongooses," Two more Pelican's slowly hovered down and dropped their payloads off in front of the Spartan's. "And two Scorpion Tanks for our special boys." "Emphasis on the Special part." Yuna said with sass. "Have I ever told you how much you girls rock?" Devon said as he walked over to one of the Scorpions. "Not enough." Dokuro replied.

Eric walked over to his tank. His and Devon's Angel Pack's would be too bulky to fit into the driver's seat. He unlatched it from his battle suit and secured it to the side equipment rack of the Scorpion and Devon did the same. "Yuna, you're gonna have to keep giving me feedback down there. Keep on your guard for any sign of energy spikes and directions." "Of course." She replied, "However, it's going to be as much of a guessing game for me as it is for you down there." Eric hopped into the driver's seat of his tank and said, "Oh, somehow I don't doubt this." He closed the hatch above him and opened his team COM. "Alright troops, find a vehicle and mount up, Calabrese, I want you on my tanks chain gun." "Yes Sir." He replied.

Devon hopped up on his tank and looked at the ODST's finding positions and vehicles to mount up in. He saw one Helljumper in particular that stood out. This one was noticeably taller than the others and looked to have a lot more muscle mass. Devon pulled up the Helljumper's stat's on his HUD.

It read:

UNSC ODST 1254-7635B

Lance Corporal: Phil Gowen

ODST Enlistment Date: 2-21-2551

AGE: 20, SEX: Male, HAIR COLOR: Red, EYE COLOR: Blue, HEIGHT 6'6", WEIGHT 265lbs.

"Hmm, only a Corporal, and he's still new to the ODST's. I wonder if he can handle front line work." He watched as all the vehicles were filled leaving Gowen standing with no one to mount up with. "Be nice and give the kid a chance." Dokuro said calmly. Devon shrugged and said, "Why not… Hey kid." Gowen looked over at the Spartan. He was somewhat stunned. He was still new to the UNSC and he was being called by one of the Spartans. He quickly double timed it over to the tank and took his helmet off. He had short cut red hair and a goatee. Despite his size he seemed to be a mellow person and had calm eyes. He saluted and said, "Yes Sir?" Devon looked at the ODST. He was huge from muscle mass. Devon said, "Damn kid, doin' a little extra body building after basic training?" Phil nodded and said, "Yes Sir! I want to make sure I'm always at my best." Devon nodded and said, "Aren't you going to mount up with anyone?" "I'm trying to Sir." Phil replied, "I'm still the greenhorn and no one wants to be the one who has to watch my back." Devon replied, "Tell you what, I need a gunner and I think I'll give you a shot and see if you're any good." He saw the Helljumper grin with excitement. The kid clearly wanted to prove himself and make his squad proud. "Thank you Sir! I won't let you down." Devon nodded and said, "That's great, now hop in the turret. We got work to do." Gowen put his helmet back on and hopped up on the tank and took his place in the chain gunner position. "We're ready." Devon radioed into Eric.

All of the Helljumper's took their positions and mounted up on vehicles. "Where do you want us Sir?" One of the Helljumper's asked. Eric replied, "I want the Gauss Cannon Warthog's up front with me and SPARTAN-69, chain gun hog's right behind, and Mongooses follow behind and take out any stragglers that slip past our front lines." "You got it Sir." The Helljumper replied.

Eric and Devon powered up their tanks and headed forward into the dark cavern. The only thing illuminating the tunnel was the headlights from the large fleet of UNSC vehicles and the occasional spray of sparks that shot out from under the two Scorpion Tank's treads as they skid along the metal surface.

Dokuro called out over the Team COM. "Be on alert, I'm picking up obstacle obstructions in our path up ahead." "Understood." Devon replied. He radioed into Eric. "Well, should we over kill it with the tank's or just let the ODST's handle this?" Eric replied, "Depends, if it's just a few stray grunt's, they can have a field day with them and kill them how they want, but if it's something big then I'm taking over. I mean come on! They gave us tanks! They can't expect us not to have a little fun in them." "Good point Devon replied.

"I'm picking up a few objects in our path about fifty feet up ahead." Yuna reported. "Alright, I'll take a look." Eric replied as he opened up his team COM. "All advancing troops, sit tight a minute. We're going to check out something up ahead." "Roger that Sir, holler if you need us."

"Spot lights on." Eric radioed into Devon. He switched on his tanks spot light and slowly advanced up ahead with Devon close by. The two shone their lights around looking for any type of obstruction. Up ahead, Devon's light reflected off of an object. "Got something." He said as he inched closer. "Be ready on that turret." Eric called up to Calabrese. He nodded and let his finger lay lightly on the trigger.

Eric shone his spot light into the darkness and ended up finding the objects. Several abandoned Ghosts were sitting on the ground in disarray with no sign of their drivers. Eric looked at his motion tracker and saw no sign of movement. "Picking up anything Yuna?" Eric asked. "Nothing." She replied. "Keep going." Eric radioed in and said, "Advance." As he started his tank rolling again.

"Well, at least we know their down here." Devon said calmly. "Yeah, but it's dark as hell down here and that gives those bastards plenty of places to hide and wait for us." Eric replied. Devon shot back, "Hello, we have tanks, what do they have? Foot soldiers and plasma pistols. I don't feel threatened." "Yeah, good point." Eric said as his fleet rolled past the abandoned vehicles.

The cavern path began leading downward and a new feature popped into view. The cavern was now somewhat illuminated by faint blue lights. It did little for lighting the area but at least it was a change from complete darkness. Something else began to change. The deeper the fleet descended, the colder the temperature became. "This is odd." Yuna said with confusion. "We're going deeper into the planet; the temperature should be rising not dropping." "This whole mission is odd Yuna." Eric replied.

The path up ahead curved and again led down. Around the curve another strange feature appeared. A thick ghostly fog. "Alright, this is creeping me out." Devon said over his COM. Eric opened his team COM. "All troops ready weapons. We could be heading into a trap." Eric and Devon drove ahead and felt the path level out. They continued ahead and for a quick moment the fog dissipated and the Spartan's took a look at their surroundings. They had driven onto a wide bridge that was at least one hundred yards wide and its length spanned out until it vanished into the thick fog. The span seemed to hang over a deep chasm that fell into a dark abyss.

"Take it easy now." Eric radioed into Devon as the two cautiously moved forward. Devon heard a Mongooses engine and looked over. One of the ODST's driving the four wheeler moved ahead of the tanks with his passenger and started surveying the area. "What are you doing trooper?" Eric said annoyed that someone was disobeying his orders. "Get back into position." "Hold on Sir," He replied, "I'm just checking something out for you." Eric replied sternly, "That's not your job, now get back into position."

Almost instantly, a sharp purple beam of energy sailed out of the fog and struck the passenger on the Mongoose. The ODST fell limp and collapsed to the ground as blood seeped from a hole in his helmets visor. Another round quickly sailed out of the darkness and hit the driver in the hand. Out of shock he gripped the throttle and overturned the vehicle. He fell to the ground and yelled in pain as he gripped onto his wounded hand. "Man down! Get them out of there!" Devon yelled over the COM. Before anyone could react, a large plasma mortar from a Wraith Tank sail towards the wounded ODST. He yelled out in fear as the large plasma round struck him and vaporized him.

"Son of a bitch!" Eric cursed to himself as he began messing with his tanks controls. He radioed to Devon and yelled, "Figures! We can't go anywhere without these assholes getting in our way!" He opened his team COM and yelled, "All units, spread out and search for targets, kill any that you find! Devon, you're going in with me. Find those Wraiths and kill them."

On the other side of the large bridge stood the Commander of the Covenants underground assault. It was an Elite Major. He was far different then his other Elite brothers. He was larger in both height and muscle mass and instead of armor; he wore a ceremonial style black and gold robe. He stood amongst a group of other higher ranked Elite Officers and watched as his forces attacked the humans. An Elite in black armor approached the Elite Major and said, "The human's are taking casualties. None of those wretched creatures will live through this." The Elite Major stood with his arms crossed. He replied calmly. "Good, make sure none of them pass our defenses. I don't want them anywhere near this relic."

Eric took aim with his tanks cannon. "Yuna, can you get me a location on those Wraiths?" She replied, "I'm picking up movement and heat signatures all over the area ahead of us. My guess is that anywhere you shoot, you're going to get kills." "Well that's good to know." Eric mumbled to himself. He took aim at a random location in the fog and squeezed the cannon's trigger. An orange explosion flashed in the fog followed by a deep blue flash. "See that." Yuna said happily. "You destroyed a Ghost."

Devon was in the same situation. He couldn't sight on any targets. He could only make guesses from the flashes of stray plasma fire he saw coming out of the fog. He heard Yuna's voice come on over the team COM. "Attention all units, focus fire on the lower line of fog and use your best judgment by following the direction of plasma fire." As her voice cut out, Devon said to himself, "That's kinda reckless." Dokuro shot back, "Since when are you against doing something reckless!?" "I'm not," he replied, "I just don't want to waste too much ammo on random shots." "That doesn't stop you when you're on foot with a rifle, what makes a tank any different? I mean, I figured you would be going crazy with this thing right when you sat in the driver's seat." Dokuro replied. Devon took aim randomly into the thick fog. "You know what?" He said as he took aim. He squeezed the trigger and fired a round from his tanks cannon. "You're right!" He could see muffled blue explosions coming from deep in the fog. Good, he knew he was hitting targets. Dokuro continued, "See, blind fire work's sometimes." Devon cracked a smile and said, "Yeah, only this time you aren't yelling at me for doing it."

Plasma fire continued to shoot wildly from the fog with still no clear sight of their source. "This isn't working," Devon said, "We need to move in deeper if where gonna kill these bastards." Eric opened up his Team COM. "All units advance. Let the tanks do the heavy work, I want minimal casualties!"

Calabrese popped off several rounds from the chain gun on Eric's tank. He sighted in the direction of plasma fire and shot off several rounds. The weapon fire from that location stopped and he knew he had gotten a kill. A Beam Rifle's round speared through the fog. Eric saw the sleek purple beam impact on the side of Calabrese's helmet. He fell to the alloy of the tank and laid still. Eric instantly opened the tanks hatch and yelled, "Calabrese!" A moment later he sat back up ran his glove over the side of his helmet. "Whoa that was close!" He said with humor in his voice. Eric sighed. " Jesus, I thought they got you." "No Sir," Calabrese replied as he took aim again on his chain gun. "Just laying low in case there was another round behind that one." The side of his helmet had a sleek line carved into its alloy from the Beam Rifle's round. It would be another war trophy for the Helljumper.

Eric sat back down in the driver's seat and closed the hatch. He heard Calabrese call down to him, "Let's head in there, I wanna return the favor to the bastard that scuffed my helmet." Eric throttled up and the tank roared forward. "Tell you what." Eric said as he yelled back to Calabrese. "My Sniper Rifle is attached to the weapon rack right beside you; return the favor the same way." Calabrese looked over and saw the weapon attached to the Spartan's personal weapon rack. "I like the way you think, Sir." He replied.

The onslaught of UNSC forces advanced deeper into the fog on the large bridge. The constant popping of automatic weapon fire echoed through the large dark cavern. Plasma fire splashed off of the tanks armor plating and the alloy bubbled from the intense heat. Up ahead, Devon's greenhorn chain gunner saw a blue flash appear in the thick fog. It stayed stationary for a few seconds then vaulted into the air. "Oh shit!" He yelled out as he shot at the source. The blue orb penetrated out through the fog and landed right at the front of an advancing Warthog. "Grenade!" Gowin called out as he shot his chain gun. The blue orb detonated sending the Warthog and its three passengers tumbling over the edge of the bridge into the dark pit below.

Out of the thick fog appeared several Grunts and a handful of Jackals. "Hit em!" Devon ordered to his gunner. Gowen quickly sighted on them and blew them away with his turret before they could react. Devon looked at a monitor mounted on the control panel of his tank. It showed him troop positions and locations of vehicles. Eric's tank was now about fifty feet away from him and was out of sight due to the thick fog. He radioed in, "I'm starting to run into ground troops, be on alert." Devon could hear the boom of Eric's tanks cannon over both his radio and outside. He replied, "Really, you too?"

An Elite in black armor ran from the bridge path up to a platform built for the higher ranked troops to watch over the battle below. One of those watching the battle unfold was the Elite Major. The Elite in black armor approached and said, "Excellency, the human's are advancing to close." The Elite Major slowly turned and approached the black armored Elite. It calmly spoke. "Then why aren't you down there repelling them?" The black armored Elite lowered its head and held its fist to its chest plate in honor and said, "I can assure you, we are doing everything in our power to stop them from advancing. However, we have discovered a setback in our attempts." The Elite Major replied slowly, "And what might that be?" The black armored Elite continued, "Two of the humans that are approaching are the ones who wear the special armor; the armor that the Demon who destroyed the sacred ring wears." The Elite major frowned. "I see." He said sternly.

The Elite Major walked towards a holo projector. He tapped his slender finger over several images and opened up a radio contact.

Eric's tank roared forward. He was in a constant barrage of plasma fire and fighting to prevent the loss of any more of his troops. He heard his radio fill with static followed by Yuna report in. "Unknown contact establishing a connection. I'm trying to fight it off." Eric frowned under his visor. "Really…" He uttered. "Track the signal and let it through." "Are you sure?" His A.I. asked with concern. Eric nodded. Yuna sighed and said, "Alright."

A harsh alien voice came on over his radio. The Elite Major spoke. "You dare defy us by leading an army of filthy human footsteps into the realm of the gods?" Eric replied with a grin, "I defy a lot of things that generally tend to piss your race off, coming down here was apparently one of them. But that doesn't mean that I plan on stopping." The Elite Major scoffed at the Spartan's ignorance. It replied, "You fight with valor and I see that we are both equal as Commander's, but it will be no use. You will fall before the might of the Covenant."

Eric replied sharply. "My skills as a commander make your race shudder and die. I've killed thousands of your troops single handedly. Don't think for an instant that I'll stop just because of your threats." The Elite Major replied, "You speak highly of yourself and of your abilities, but how well can you fight?" Yuna spoke over his private COM. "I'm picking up his general location. He's about a half of a mile ahead of our current position." A red NAV marker appeared on his HUD. Eric aimed his tanks cannon and said, "You're about to see how well I can fight. And by the way, I hope you like 90 millimeters of tungsten!"

He squeezed the trigger and the tank shuddered as he watched the round sail off into the thick fog and detonate in the pale darkness. The radio transmition was filled with static and he heard no reply. "I think you got him." Yuna said calmly. "Were it so easy." The Elite Major replied over the radio. It continued in its harsh voice. "Unlike those vulgar Brutes, we Elite's still believe in an honorable battle. I would hope a warrior of your class believes the same." Eric replied, "I believe in nothing more than stopping your Covenant and nothing else." The Elite Major replied, "So be it. We will make it an even fight."

Back on the other side of the bridge, the Elite Major shouted to its troops, "Wraiths! Take your positions and begin your attack!" "Yes Excellency!" An Elite called back. "Make sure none of them live; especially those two in the special armor."

"He seems friendly." Devon radioed over to Eric. "Yeah, we meet all kinds of interesting people don't we." Eric said back as he sighted on targets.

Out of the blackness, several sharp rounds from Beam Rifles pierced through the darkness and struck several more of the Helljumper's. The radio began to fill with constant chatter of troops requesting aid from medics and for cover fire. The fog up ahead suddenly lit up with a bright purple flash. Out of the darkness, five plasma mortars from Wraith Tanks simultaneously appeared. "Oh! That's not good!" Devon called out. Eric opened up his team COM. "All units. Focus fire on any one of the Wraiths! Take them out before the do the same to you!" Eric moved his tank towards the middle of the bridge and radioed out to Devon. "Form up with me. We'll have a better shot at this with two tanks on one." "On my way." Devon called back.

The two tanks slowly formed up and ran parallel to one another. "Get me a lock on the closest target Dokuro. I'm not firing into the blind, it'll be too easy for them to spot us." She immediately replied, "Incoming Wraith roughly thirty yards ahead of you." A red NAV marker appeared on his HUD. Dokuro opened up her own team COM. One that she made sure was unhackable. "All troops, I'll be updating all of your HUD's as I see fit from your locations. Any close target to you that appears in your sights, I want you to take care of them. That may be our only shot at this." Several replies of "Yes Ma'am." Replied.

Two loud boom's echoed through the massive cavern as the tanks both opened up on the incoming target. Up ahead, the bright electric blue flashes illuminated the thick fog. "Good! We're hitting them!" Devon called out. "Keep firing!" The two tanks again fired. This time a large blue explosion could be seen. "Target destroyed!" Yuna called out. "Updating your HUD's for the next one."

Gowin unloaded his chain gun while Devon drove him closer to the threats. He called down to Devon. "You know, this kinda fun; getting to kill these alien bastards with a Spartan! I can't wait to tell my buddies back home about this." Devon replied as he continued to fire the tanks cannon. "Tell you what, when we get out of this, I'll buy us both a drink to commemorate these fun times but for right now, just shut up and kill shit!"

A stray plasma mortar sailed over the two tanks and detonated behind them. "Ok, that was to close for comfort." Eric said. "They know we're here, let's change locations." "On it." Devon called back. Another mortar detonated next to Devon's tank. This one impacted a Warthog that was taking point beside him. The vehicle exploded in a fireball instantly killing the passengers. "No! Those bastards!" Phil yelled out as he shot his chain gun in the direction of the Wraith. "No!" Devon shouted. "Not while we're changing positions!" Phil continued to fire for a few seconds. He knew one of the other Helljumper's in that Warthog; one of his friends from training. Several plasma rounds fired at Devon's tank. They impacted off of the thick alloy and pelted across the front of the tank. Two of the rounds struck Phil in the upper right chest plate and in his left arm. He yelled out in pain and hunched over.

"Gowen!" Devon shouted. "Status!?" Phil grinned his teeth in pain under his visor. The young ODST quickly looked over his wounds. He saw his chest plate was warped and semi melted from the heat of the plasma and his arm was bleeding steadily. He yelled down to Devon. "I'll be alright, I just need to patch this up real quick." He reached into one of the pouches on his combat armor and pulled out a silver canister over Bio Foam. He quickly shook the can and put the nozzle into the wound on his arm. He sprayed a quick shot of the foam into his wound and growled in pain and did the same for the shot to his chest.

He let his wounded arm rest to the side and held his right hand on the chain gun. Devon yelled up to him. "Can you keep fighting?" He asked. Phil nodded his helmet and replied, "Yeah, I'll be fine." The Helljumper hid his pain and continued to sight for target's while the force of UNSC troops advanced.

Meanwhile, the Elite Major could see how close the human forces were getting. They were to close for his liking. In human distance they were only a quarter mile from his location. He frowned and called out. "Wraiths, focus all fire, Ghost's, target the smaller vehicles, and sniper, kill anything you see still moving!" Down below, several Grunts waddled towards their parked vehicles and mounted up. The Ghost's eerie purple glow flashed to life and the vehicles sped off into the fog.

"One Wraith left!" Yuna called out. "Hit it hard Devo!" Eric ordered. The tanks reports echoed through the cavern and one final large blue explosion could be seen. Devon laughed to himself "Ha ha! Wraiths can suck my…" He was cut off by the glow of more incoming vehicles. "Oh come on!" He yelled out."

A formation of Ghosts sped past the tanks. "Get those Ghosts!" Devon shouted over his team COM. He could hear Gauss Cannon fire from the Warthogs behind him. Returning fire with his tanks cannon wasn't an option; the Ghosts were too close to his troops for a safe explosion. He heard one of the ODST's radio to him. "We're fine Sir! Keep advancing!"

The barrage of plasma fire intensified. The two tanks as well as the other vehicles and troops were being pelted by white hot rounds of plasma. "Your tank is taking some hard hits!" Yuna reported. Her Spartan continued to fire rounds from the tanks main cannon. He yelled back, "It's gonna have to tough it out because there's not much I can do about it right now. I have no cover down here."

The battle was now in complete chaos. All that was seen in the dark cavern was nothing but orbs of plasma and the bright orange streaks of bullets. Two pink shards from a Needler impacted on Calabrese's torso as he was shooting. They instantly deatonated sending a shower if pink shards as well as the ODST's blood splattering onto the tanks alloy. Calabrese yelled out from the wound but ignored it. He grinned his teeth and continued firing.

On Devon's side of the bridge, his battle wasn't fairing well either. From inside the cockpit of his Scorpion, he heard the sound of metal grinding followed by red alert lights on his tanks control panel. He radioed over to Eric, "My right front tread is locking up; I don't know how much more of this my tank can handle!" Eric shot back as he blew away another Ghost with his tanks cannon, "Keep pushing as far as you can!" Up ahead, the fog started to thin out and a massive wall came into view. It looked almost alien and was intricately designed with geometric patterns and had an almost cathedral like look to it. He thought to himself, "We must have found what their after." He quickly asked, "Yuna, how far away are we from that structure?" She quickly replied, "We only have about a quarter mile left, keep pushing forward!"

"This is it boys!" Eric yelled over his team COM. "We're almost to whatever it is that they don't want us near, don't let those bastards stop you! Keep moving!"

A wave of green flashes appeared. "Incoming!" Calabrese called out. A barrage of Fuel Rod Cannon rounds sailed towards Eric's tank. "Evade them!" Yuna called out, "This tank can't take that many more hits!" Eric shot back, "This thing can't exactly just skip away!" He watched as the rounds neared his tank. He quickly called out, "Calabrese, bail out now!" He watched as his gunner hopped out of the tanks turret right as three of the thick green orbs of plasma struck the front end of his tank. Calabrese rolled onto the ground and quickly regained his footing. He pulled out a Battle Rifle off of the back of his battle armor and sighted for targets. Up ahead he saw a large group of hunters emerge from the fog and again shoot more rounds from their Fuel Rod Cannons. Several more impacted off of Eric's tank. Inside, his control panel sparked and red warning lights flashed. Its motor shut down and a small fire plumed out of the front end. "Bail out now!" Yuna yelled.

The metal hatch swung open as the Spartan pulled himself out of the now useless vehicle. He quickly hopped down to the metal surface of the bridge and ran to the side of his tank. He quickly unfastened the straps holding his Angel Pack on and positioned it against the alloy of the tank. He saw several more fuel rod rounds flying towards him. He quickly positioned the back of his suit against the pack and let it attach to his armor. He saw his HUD flash and saw the Angel Pack's stat bar appear. "Move!" Yuna yelled. The Spartan quickly sprinted away from the tank as another barrage of plasma fire impacted against his tank. There was a loud boom as his tank was destroyed from the severity of the damage followed by a bright orange ball of fire.

He looked at Calabrese and said, "Follow me! We're going to SPARTAN-69's tank!" The Helljumper nodded and the two sprinted off towards Devon's tank. They both dodged plasma fire and bullets and eventually saw Devon's tank struggling to advance forward. Eric hopped onto one of the metal plates covering the tanks treads. He pulled out his Sniper Rifle and began picking off targets. He yelled over to Devon. "This isn't working!" Devon shot back. "You think!?" Eric picked off several of the hunters with four well placed shots from his sniper rifle. He said back to Devon, "We aren't that far away, we might as well make a break for it." "Shit." Devon mumbled to himself. He continued, "This is gonna be one of those things that's probably going to get me killed. Either way isn't looking to promising right now so what the hell." Devon popped the hatch on his tank and hopped out and quickly ran around to the side of his tank and attached his Angel Pack. Gowen jumped from his turret and ran around the side with the others and helped give cover fire.

Eric opened up his Team COM. "Attention, this is SPARTAN-45 requesting immediate back up from all ODST forces stationed in the pit. I repeat, all ODST stationed in the pit, we are being overrun and are requesting immediate backup, over!" One replied, "We're on our way Sir!"

The Elite Major walked over to the entrance of the massive structure. Several Elites were busy attempting to hack a holo terminal on the front of what looked like a massive door. The Elite Major approached the Elites and asked, "How much longer? We cannot afford to waste any more time on this." One of the Elites replied, "Only a few more minutes Excellency. We are almost through."

A frag grenade bounced into the Covenant inner fortified area. It detonated next to several parked Ghosts and destroyed them. The Elite Major frowned. The humans were right on top of him and his troops had failed to repel them. He shouted, "If that relic isn't opened within my next breath, I'll see to it that you are all used to absorb the human's gun fire!" One of the Elites replied, "I have it Excellency! The relic is opening!"

Devon and Eric felt the massive cavern shudder. Up ahead they could see a deep blue light pour out from what looked like a large door parting. "No! Dokuro yelled. "Their getting inside; you have to stop them!" Calabrese cut in and said, "You two go! We'll hold off the rest and make sure nothing follows you in." Eric quickly patted Calabrese on the shoulder and said, "Kick their asses." Devon looked at Gowen and said, "And don't worry, I'm still treating you to a dink after all of this." Gowen replied, "I'm holding you to that."

Eric and Devon turned and quickly activated their Angel Packs and flew off towards the opening door. Once in the air they had a panoramic view of the area. The bridge they were on led to what looked like a massive wall of a fortress built into the cavern walls. On the end where they were headed was lined with Covenant forces. Devon radioed to Eric and said, "Got a plan for this one?" Eric replied, Oh hey, look at that. We leapt into another battle without thinking again, didn't we?" "You always do that!" Yuna yelled. Eric continued, "Tell you what, let's just land at the entrance to that fortress and hope for the best." Devon looked ahead of him and saw all of the Covenant that were waiting for them when they landed. He sighed and said, "Yeah, we might as well."

Up ahead, the Elite Major saw the two Spartan's flying towards him. He snarled and yelled, "Snipers! Kill those wretched humans! Do not let them get through!" A line of Jackals took aim and began firing rounds from their Beam Rifles.

Out of the darkness, the two Spartan's saw a wave of purple beams of plasma fire at them. "Snipers!" Devon yelled. A round struck Eric dead center in his chest and killed his shields. He quickly folded the wings of is Angel Pack over the front of his body and shielded himself while his shields recharged. He pulled his own Sniper Rifle up to firing position and said to himself, "You wanna play dirty? Fine! I will too!" His shields quickly sparked and recharged. He immediately unfolded his wings and went into a dive and Devon followed him. He took aim and unloaded the four shots from his rifle into the bodies of the jackals. "Hit those Elites!" Devon called out. Eric looked at the entrance to the fortress and saw several Elites making their way inside. "I don't think so!" The Spartan called out as his popped off another clip into the Elites.

From down below, the Elite Major shouted, "Stop them! I will not see them get past us!" From above the two could see Elites making their way inside. Eric slung his sniper rifle. He sent his Angel Pack into full burn and rocketed himself forward towards the opening. He radioed over to Devon. "Follow me down and fold in your pack before we reach the door." Devon's acknowledgement light blinked on Eric's HUD. He carefully aimed himself and flew towards the opening. When he was twenty feet away from the opening, he folded in his packs wings and killed its engines. He impacted hard on the ground and slid forward on the smooth metal floor sending out a large plume of sparks from under his suit. Devon did the same thing and blew past the Covenant forces and crashed to the metal floor. The two sprawled out on the floor to slow their sliding and eventually came to a stop about two hundred feet from the main door. The two quickly stood and began picking off the Elites that got through with their Sniper Rifles. Eric sprinted back towards the door and saw a holo panel on it.

To him, the marking's on this holo panel seemed familiar but he ignored it and pressed his finger against one of the symbols. The door shuddered and slowly slid closed. On the other side he could see the Elite Major approaching the door. The alien was massive and was far bigger than any Elite he had ever encountered. He watched as it stopped as the doors slid to close together to be passed through safely. It seemed to scowl at him as the two doors slowly shut and latched. Eric quickly held his hand over the holo pad and said, "Yuna, lock this down, I don't want them getting through." His glove sparked gold as Yuna interfaced herself with the holo panel.

A few seconds later she returned to his mind and said, "There. The only way they can get through now is if they blast that door down, and I don't see that happening." Eric turned and saw Devon looking down into the huge tunnel ahead of him. He walked over to his fellow Spartan and said, "Looks like we got a little bit of exploring to do." Ahead of them was a dimly lit tunnel. It was massively high and seemed to head deeper into the planet's surface and stretched out into the darkness. There was no telling how far down it led or how long it went on for. "Yuna, Dokuro," Eric said calmly. "I want both of you to be on alert for any sign of energy spikes. Who knows where the source of that energy is down here." Dokuro replied, "Well, for now you two have only one way to go. I'd get moving if I were you." Eric and Devon again spread the wings on their Angel Packs and lifted off of the metal surface. They adjusted their positions and flew into the darkness of the massive tunnel.


	27. WITHIN THESE DEAPTHS

Sorry for the pause in between chapters there. But now, back to business.

Aurora has many secrets, and our Spartan's are about to find that out first hand.

(CHAPTER 27) WITHIN THESE DEAPTHS

The two Spartan's glided silently down the long metal tunnel as they traveled deeper into the planets interior. The caverns path seemed to zigzag downward leaving the two soldiers to only guess how much further they had to go. The thruster's on the two Spartan's angel packs quietly echoed off of the caverns metal walls as the two continued to explore.

Devon and Eric maneuvered themselves down the sloping tunnel, all the while keeping a sharp eye out for any possible threats. "Any idea how long this tunnel goes on for?" Devon asked his A.I. Dokuro had no definite answer, she only replied, "I have no idea, for some reason I can't do a topography scan of the area." "Neither can I." Yuna added. My censors aren't able to pick up any other tunnels or underground structures down here. I'm only able to pick up energy readings. It's strange." Devon sighed and then asked, "Can you at least contact the Helljumper's and see how their doing back up there?" Devon heard static through his helmets radio and nothing else. Dokuro said. "This isn't good. Something is interfering with your radio systems down here." Eric sighed and asked, "Are you two at least still able to keep in contact with each other?" Dokuro paused to check her systems then said, "Luckily yes, this interference is strong but it can't corrupt mine and Yuna's personal COM's." "Good to know." Eric said.

The two continued to glide down the long cavern. They had encountered no enemies beyond the gate leading into this area; all they were finding was nothing but long dark tunnels. What were they after down here?

A few minutes later, the cavern path leveled out and stopped descending. "Well that's a change," Devon said with sarcasm, "Flat level ground!" Eric looked around and still saw nothing. He said, "Yeah but it's still the same, there's nothing here." "Maybe we just aren't in far enough." Yuna added. Eric sighed and said, "We've been heading in for twenty minutes and haven't seen a thing." Up ahead, the two saw a large wall ahead of them. Eric and Devon flew towards it. "Are you kidding me!?" Devon groaned. "It's a dead end!" Eric zoomed in with his visors magnification. "No," He said, "It's a fork in the path."

The two flew over to the split in the cavern and landed. Their Angel Pack's had been flying for over twenty minutes and their power was low and needed a few minutes to recharge. The two looked at the separate paths. Each led off in a direction that still looked like the same dimly lit cavern that they had been flying through. "Well what now?" Devon asked. Yuna replied, "Hang on, I'm picking up high energy readings coming from the left tunnel." Dokuro added, "And I'm picking up the same thing coming from the right tunnel." Eric looked at Devon and said, "Well, choose your path wisely." Devon looked down the two different tunnels. Each looked the same and each posed the same threat of unknown danger. "I guess I'll go right." Devon said. Eric nodded and added, "Then I'll head left." Eric attached his Sniper Rifle to the back of his suit and pulled out his Shotgun. The two punched fists and turned and began heading in opposite directions.

Devon's path led him down the same familiar long tunnels. He had no idea how far in they went or where it led. He looked at his Angel Pack's power level on his HUD. It was still at low power from the long flight and needed a few more minutes to fully recharge. About a quarter mile ahead of him, the tunnel seemed to curve off. "Any surprises waiting for me up there?" He asked. Dokuro said calmly, "I'm not picking up anything at all. I haven't been since we got down here. All I'm detecting is that energy source coming from somewhere in this direction." The Spartan gripped his Sniper Rifle tightly. This wasn't the type of situation he particularly liked to be in. He hated the unknown feeling. He walked closer to the corner in the tunnel and constantly checked his motion tracker. As he neared the corner, he went into a semi crouched position and crept over towards the edge of the tunnel wall. He carefully peeked his head around the corner and only saw another dark tunnel ahead of him. He let out a sigh and his A.I. said calmly. "See, I told you there was nothing there. Don't get too worked up down here."

He loosened his firm grip on his Sniper Rifle and kept going. This area of the tunnel wasn't illuminated. As he headed further in, the harder it was to see. He turned his helmet's flashlight on and surveyed the area. This end of the tunnel seemed to be damaged. The metal walls looked as if they had been hit by a large explosion or even a fire. There was also evidence of what looked like weapon damage and marks that looked like they were created by large claws.

As he surveyed the area, he felt the tip of his boot hit something. He looked down and his flashlight shone on a black object. It looked almost like a fragment of armor plating. It looked old and brittle; almost as if it lay untouched for thousands of years. He knelt down and picked it up. It was unusually heavy for being a small piece. "What is this Dokuro?" He asked. Dokuro scanned the object through the censors in the fingertips of Devon's armor. She processed the data and couldn't come up with an answer. She paused for a few seconds then replied. "Unknown. I've never seen anything like this material before. It looks like some form of armor but I don't know what. I could even be something organic." Devon looked around. Whatever it was that happened down here had clearly happened a long time ago. He stood back up and continued on ahead.

Eric had been walking for about fifteen minutes and the tunnel never changed. It was an odd place. There was no sound down here other then the dull hum of the dim blue lights that partially illuminated the tunnel and the echoed thump of his heavy boots off of the metal floor. "Are you sure you're picking up energy reading's from this direction, because we've seen nothing other than this tunnel that seems like it's going nowhere." He asked Yuna. She sighed and said, "I'm telling you, there's something down this way." Eric looked around. He couldn't see anything that looked like it might give off energy. He sighed and kept walking.

Another five minutes passed. The tunnel still never changed. He tried pulling up a topography map on his visors HUD but it couldn't pick up anything from this deep underground. He was considering turning around and going to meet back up with Devon when he heard Yuna say, "There, up ahead." He looked up and saw a large door at the end of the tunnel about two hundred yards ahead of him. He quickened his pace to a run and headed for the door.

He did a quick sprint and stopped in front of the massive barrier. It looked almost like a large vault door. On the wall of the tunnel he saw a glowing holo panel. He walked over to it and looked over it. It displayed glowing symbols that pulsed with light as they moved across the screen. Something strange clicked through his mind, almost as if he had seen these symbols before. He pressed his fingers against an orange triangle shaped symbol and he heard the massive doors groan and slowly slide open.

The door opened revealing a massive domed room. Eric walked in and looked around. The circular room was lined with black statues that looked like guardians of some sort. He walked over to one of the statues for a closer look. The jet black creature was very sleek looking and covered in an armor like plating. "What the hell?" He mumbled to himself. "Are those…" Yuna said quietly. Eric frowned under his visor and uttered out. "Theta's." It was the one creature that he had come to fear. The last one he had encountered nearly killed him, and he was hoping that he would never have to see them again after that. He looked around at the statues of the Theta's and asked. "Why in the Hell would there be statues of those things down here? Their a Covenant species." Yuna replied, "Unless the Covenant discovered them from somewhere else." Eric slowly turned his head and looked behind him. The room was silent and no one else was around. He looked back ahead and continued walking for another door on the opposite end of the large domed room. He gripped his shotgun a little tighter in his hands and felt his nerves tweak slightly.

He approached the other door and again saw the same holo panel with the same symbols on it. Like before he pressed down on the symbol of the orange triangle and the large door slid open. On the other side of the door was another long dark tunnel. He stepped into the darkness and heard the large door behind him slide shut. The large tunnel echoed with a muffled thud as the large metal doors latched shut.

"I'm picking up more energy pulses. It's stronger now." Yuna told him. "Any idea how far in?" he asked. "I'm not sure." His A.I. told him, "It still seems to be coming from deeper below us." Eric started walking. "Alright." He said, "Just let me know if you pick up anything else."

The tunnel extended in about a mile past the domed room. Eric looked at his HUD and saw that his Angel Pack was fully recharged. He spread the wings out from the pack and powered up its thrusters. He hovered off of the metal floor and then began to glide down the long dark tunnel. While he glided, he opened up his COM and tried to reach Devon. "Devo come in." He heard no reply. He tried switching to a private COM. "Devo, you there?" He heard a quick rip of static followed by Devon's muffled voice. His radio was being interfered with by something. It was even managing to distort his A.I.'s private network. Yuna tried to isolate the signal the best that she could. Eric continued, "Have you found anything yet?" Devon replied, "I found what looks like remains from a battle." "Was it recent?" Eric asked. "He heard more static and heard Devon say, "Doubt it. All this stuff looks like it was left from centuries ago." "What do you mean stuff." Eric asked. "Did you find weapons or vehicles?" "No," Devon replied, "It's some sort of black armor plating. I've never seen anything like it before. It almost looks organic."

Eric paused and asked, "What do you mean organic?" Devon said back, "I don't know, it almost looks like bone or some sort of large black scale. Whatever it is though it's hard as a rock." Eric felt his adrenaline spike. From what he heard described to him, it sounded like the same material that armored the Theta's. Eric replied, "You haven't encountered anything down here have you?" "No, why?" Devon asked. Eric said sternly, "Listen, I think you may have found part of a Theta's scale." He heard a rip of static and then heard Devon's reply. "Why would there be Theta's down here? I thought you said they were a species of Covenant." "I don't know," Eric replied, "Me and Yuna found statues of them in this large room down here." "You haven't seen any of the bastards down here have you?" Devon asked. Eric looked around his position and replied, "None, thank god!" Devon looked around at his own position to make sure nothing was sneaking around. He asked, "Do you think that we should meet back up just in case?" Eric paused and thought about it. He then replied, "No, we have two separate things to be looking for down here. That's two separate things the Covenant could be after. We need to keep looking." He heard Devon sigh then say, "Alright. I just hope I don't run into one of those bastards down here." Eric said back, "I haven't seen anything down here at all. I highly doubt that we'll find anything else down here. Just stay on your guard and listen for a loud scream. That's usually how they make themselves known." "Gee, that makes me feel a lot better." Devon said back with sarcasm.

Eric continued on down the long tunnel. Up ahead he could see a wall. This one looked different, almost like a gate. He flew up to it and landed back on the metal floor. He folded the wings back into his Angel Pack and walked over to the large metal gates. He again saw the same style holo panel and he pressed another one of the symbols. The gate's slid open and revealed a platform. He stepped onto it and looked around. "It's an elevator." Yuna said to her Spartan. Eric looked around. "I'm guessing we go down?" Yuna replied softly, "Looks like we don't have much of a choice." Eric saw a small holo pad with only two symbols. He figured the obvious and then pressed the second symbol that looked like a downward pointing arrow. He felt the platform shudder then begin to descent into the blackness of a deep shaft.

Devon now found himself in a somewhat dangerous situation. He now had the potential threat of the Theta's wandering around the area. He tried his best to ignore his nerves and keep going ahead. His path was dark and even his helmet's flashlight wasn't doing much to help his vision. A few steps later he felt his footing fall out from under him. He looked down in time for his flashlight to show him stepping off of a ledge and him losing his footing. He began to tumble into the darkness below. Dokuro quickly did an over ride on his Angel Pack and spread the wings of the pack and activated its thrusters herself. "Thanks for that." Devon said. Dokuro replied, "That was almost really funny." "You enjoy watching me get hurt, don't you?" He asked. "Dokuro replied with sass, "No, I just like watching you do stupid things." "Good for you then." He said, "You chose the right Spartan for that."

Devon looked below him. He couldn't tell how deep this pit went. He asked. "Any idea how far down that is?" Dokuro quickly scanned the area and then said, "You have about a two hundred foot drop below you." "What's down there?" He asked. "Dokuro said, "I'm not sure, but that energy reading I'm picking up is strong from that direction." He powered down his thrusters and slowly started to descent into the darkness. "Then we go down."

The elevator had been descending for nearly five minutes. Eric had no idea how deep underground he was. When the elevator finally shuddered to a stop he checked his HUD for a topography reading. His location was now ten and a half miles below the surface. The metal gates slid open and he stepped out. He was in another tunnel. This one however led to a door that looked almost like a massive vault door. It wasn't like the others he had seen earlier down here. This one was made of a dark, almost black alloy. Eric walked up to it and so no holo panel to open it. Eric looked around and saw no mechanism to unlock the door or even a handle to pull. In fact, he even doubted that he could make this door budge, even in his armor. "Hold on," Yuna said calmly. "this door is opened through a different way." "What do you mean?" Eric asked. Yuna projected her figure through one of the light mounts on Eric's helmet. Her blue glow illuminated the dark tunnel as she walked up to the large door. She held out her hands and a small blue orb appeared in front of the door. She held her hands up and placed them over the orb. She said calmly, "This door needs an A.I. to grant access."

Yuna closed her neon blue eyes and focused. This security system was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Its systems were so intricate and complex, it almost made it to difficult to even begin to find a starting point for her to even begin to unlock the door. She stood silent for five seconds and eventually found the correct system. The orb of light faded from blue to white and she could her the door beginning to unlock itself. She turned to face her Spartan and said, "Sometimes it just takes a woman's touch." Her hologram vanished back into her Spartan's armor and she waited for him to proceed.

The door slowly began to swing open. It cracked open slightly and a wave of color pierced through the opening. Eric stood back and watched the sight before him unfold. The door opened to reveal a massive cavern that was made entirely out of glowing aurora stone; the one stone that was only found on this planet and was considered to be rarer and more valuable then diamonds. Eric slowly walked in. The path ahead of him looked like it was made of glass supported by crystal like arches. He attached his shotgun to the back of his suit and looked around. The entire cavern was glowing in a spectrum of color as the stones gave of light from an unseen force. "These stones are being used as a power source." Yuna told him. "I'm picking up so much energy down here. Whatever it is that the Covenant are after, I think we're almost there.

Something caught the Spartan's eye. He saw an object floating in the air above him. He looked up and saw what looked like a meter long robot with tilted back fins. It silently glided through the air and didn't yet seem to notice him. Eric quickly pulled out his Sniper Rifle and took aim. "No!" Yuna said to him sternly. "Don't shoot it!" Eric took his finger away from the trigger but still had his weapon aimed dead center at the target. "Why not?" He asked. Yuna pulled up a vid file and displayed it on his HUD. A layout of the small robot appeared with a video clip. It was video of the same machine's he had just discovered. Yuna continued. "Their called Sentinels, and they're not looking at us as a threat and I'd like to keep it that way." Eric lowered his rifle and watched as several more of the Sentinels appeared and floated freely through the air not even paying attention to him. Yuna continued softly. "There have been reports of them being sighted on several other planets that have long been glassed by the Covenant. I wouldn't worry about them. Just don't shoot at them unless they pose a threat. Let's just ignore them and keep going. This energy reading I'm picking up is strong now."

Her Spartan nodded and again spread the wings of his Angel Pack. The thrusters powered up and he lifted off of the glasslike surface. He glided forward towards the opposite end of the cavern while still holding his Sniper Rifle at a lowered position, just in case these Sentinels decided to start paying attention to him. He kept a close eye on them and watched as the Sentinels flew around the jagged walls of aurora stone. They would fly up to the precious gems and shoot a tiny beam of blue light into them. "What are they doing?" He asked his A.I. She didn't even know. "I have no idea." It almost looked like they were making adjustments to circuitry that flowed through the stones because even though they already glowed with light and color, whenever these Sentinels pulsed the small beam of light at the stones they seemed to glow brighter and fluctuate with color.

The cavern extended for a little over a mile and it only took a few minutes for him to glide at a low speed to the opposite end. The opposite end also had the same vault style door. The Spartan powered down his thruster pack and his boots clacked down onto the glassy surface. He walked up to the door and again watched as Yuna's hologram projected itself in front of the large door. She soon discovered that this door was even more difficult to hack through. It took her a full five seconds to completely bypass its systems. It might has well have been an hour in A.I. time. She turned back and faced her Spartan and then vanished back into his suit as the door hissed open.

On the other side was a cavern that glowed with intense strands of pathed light; it almost resembled fiber optic cable webbed over the rock in various colors. "It's a lot stronger now." Yuna said calmly. "How close to the source do you think we are?" Her Spartan asked. She paused then said, "It feels very close, my guess would be at the end of this cavern." Eric nodded and walked forward at a quick pace.

He hadn't made it a quarter mile in when his path split off into two directions. One path led on and upward slope and another led deeper into the underground. "Well, which way?" He asked. "Head on the upper path; the power levels are incredibly strong that way." Eric nodded and walked up the slope.

At the top, the cavern seemed to narrow. The Spartan continued forward with the glowing web of colored light surrounded him. The steep path led upwards for several hundred feet and then level out. At the top another massive room came into view, this one however had a truly stunning sight inside. Suspended over what looked like a black bottomless pit was a suspension bridge that looked like it was made entirely out of solid crystals. It was massive and extended for five hundred feet to a wall on the opposite end of the cavern that was made out of crystals that were the size of sky scrapers. Eric's jaw dropped as he slowly walked over to the bridge. "Holy hell." He uttered to himself. The tip of his boot tapped against the surface of the bridge and Yuna quickly said, "Diamonds! This whole room is one large collection of diamonds; this bridge and that huge wall is all made of diamond!" Eric looked around and couldn't believe what he had just discovered. "What do you think it's all worth?" He mumbled in amazement. Yuna replied, "I lost track of money back at the cavern of aurora stone."

Eric slowly made his way across the diamond bridge. He was still stunned at the sight. His short walk brought him to the massive wall that consisted of the skyscraper size crystals of diamond. At the base of the structure was a large door that was intricately carved with symbols that almost looked alien. He saw no way to open this door. There was no holo panel, no source of a handle, or any mechanism to open it.

Yuna's hologram once more appeared in front of the Spartan. "Wait." She uttered calmly. "Something's different about this place." Eric cocked his head. "Different how? Not much is surprising me anymore down here after finding this." Yuna slowly approached the solid diamond door and gingerly brushed her holographic fingertips over its surface. She focused deeply and ran her finger over one of the paths carved into the door. As she traced her delicate fingers over the carving, she continued, "This place, it wasn't created by accident. This whole cavern was constructed to power something." "What do you mean something?" Eric asked. Yuna continued softly, "Don't you see, the glowing aurora stones, this huge diamond cavern, and this incredible energy source I'm picking up. These are all materials used for enhancing power, power that our technology couldn't even begin to comprehend."

Yuna's finger stopped on top of one of the symbols that resembled a solar eclipse happening behind two moons. She closed her eyes and her circuitry made its way into the doors ancient systems. This was all completely new to her. She didn't even know where to begin to unlock it. She stood silent and motionless for an entire twenty seconds, the longest she had ever stopped to focus on one task. She eventually found the sources she was looking for and the door unlatched.

Yuna gasped and her hologram collapsed to the floor. "Yuna!" Eric called out as he quickly went over to her figure and knelt down beside it. He put his hand where he cheek would be and let it over her china doll face just to let her know that he was there. Her neon blue eyes slowly opened and said, "I've never felt that kind of power before. It was so much." The door slowly began to slide open before him. He replied, "It's alright, just get back in my armor and rest, I'll take care of whatever's in here." Her hologram silently nodded and she vanished back inside his mind.

As the door completely opened, Eric stood back up and walked inside. He had never seen anything like what he was seeing right now. Inside was a massive control room that appeared to be carved out of the very diamond itself. The room looked like a large domed cathedral and in the center were two massive spiked diamond crystals, one placed on the floor and one suspended from the ceiling. "That's it." Yuna said, "That's the energy source that I picked up back on the surface. Its power levels are incredible."

Eric slowly walked up to the massive diamond structure. He stood before the huge jagged diamond and pulled his glove off. He ran his finger over one of the jagged crystals. He could feel it tingle as he felt the power within the structure. He was amazed. He felt a slight pinch and looked down. He had cut his finger on one of the protruding diamond crystals. His blood seeped out of his finger and dripped down onto the large piece of diamond that dominated the center of the room. As he pulled his finger away, a large holo panel appeared. Across it scrolled various symbols and holographic figures that seemed to float in mid air. "Looks like I found its start button." He uttered. Yuna said calmly, "I need you to interface me with this." Eric paused and then said, "Are you sure? Just getting us in here did a number on you." "I'll be alright." She said softly. Eric put his glove back on and walked up to the holo panel. He slowly pulled Yuna's chip out from the back of his helmet. He instantly felt her leave his mind and he felt strangely alone.

He held the precious data chip in his hand and then found a slot on the massive holo panel. He slid her chip in and instantly the entire room glowed with light that seemed to come from the precious stones themselves. Yuna's hologram appeared above the holo panel and she exhaled sharply. "This is incredible!" She chirped. "You can't imagine how much information I'm collecting! There's so much of it, so fast, I've never felt this kind of power before!" Eric asked, "Did you find out what this place is?" Yuna looked at her Spartan and said, "Can't you let me enjoy this moment without making me do something?" Eric shook his head, "Well I don't know, isn't this the whole reason we came here in the first place!?" Yuna sighed and said, "Fine. This place was built to manufacture." "Manufacture what?" Eric asked. "Yuna sifted through her newly acquired data, she finally said, "I'm not sure, there are certain areas of this place that are… turned off and need to be reactivated." "How do we reactivate them?" Her Spartan asked. Yuna looked at him and put her hands on her hips and did her sassy pose. She smiled and said, "YOU! need to push a button." Eric raised a brow. "Push a button?" "That's right!" His A.I. replied cheerfully. "Easy enough, don't you think?" Eric shrugged, "We passed hundreds of buttons and holo panels down here, which BUTTON exactly do I have to push, and why can't you do it from here?"

Yuna quickly looked over a map layout of the entire underground city. It was massive, her and Eric had only seen a small fraction of it all. She eventually found the quickest route and location and then said, "remember that crossroads we came to before we got in here? Well, you need to go down this time, way down!" "How down?" Eric asked. Yuna smiled and said, "Not too much further, just near the edge of the planets mantle." Eric was confused, he said back, "Correct me if I'm wrong here but isn't the mantle a little too hot for me to get near?" "Relax Soldier Boy." Yuna said calmly, "There's a network of tunnel systems down there that should keep you relatively safe from any heat and molten rock." Eric crossed his arms. "Just "Relatively" safe huh?" Yuna smiled and nodded with a cheerful "Mhmm!" Eric sighed and said, "And you can't just do that from here, why?" Yuna sighed and said, "Do I look like solid energy? I can't press a manually operated object. But luckily you can!"

Yuna collected some more vital information to her Spartan's new mission. She gave him a warm smile and said, "Relax, I have a route already mapped out for you and I'll keep your HUD updated with NAV markers as you go." Her Spartans sighed. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice here do I?" Yuna smiled and said, "Nope! None at all!" Eric rolled his eyes. He said, "You're lucky I care about you so much or I wouldn't be going on this wild button hunt!" The A.I. replied sharply, "Exactly! Now get moving soldier!" Eric sighed and said, "Will you be ok here by yourself?" He watched her hologram give him a reassuring nod and she replied, "I'll be fine, I can completely seal this room off so nothing except for you can get in. And besides, it's not like we've encountered anything threatening down here." Her Spartan sighed and said, "Alright. Just let me know if anything goes wrong and I'll come back and get you." "Don't worry, I'll be fine." She told him reassuringly.

Her Spartan nodded and spun on his heel and headed back for the doorway. Yuna watched as he walked out of the room and she securely locked the door shut behind him. Her cheerful expression vanished. She was keeping something from him. She had neglected to inform him that she was picking up another presence in the underground city's network. Something else was in this system but for some reason she couldn't figure out exactly what, almost as if it wasn't functioning correctly or functioning at all for that matter. Either way, she didn't let it phase her. She had a mission to do and right now, and this "Other" didn't seem to be posing a threat. She focused the majority of her processes on her Spartan but did keep a small percentage on alert to this, "Other."


	28. THE DARK SHIP

I needed to get this posted before this weekend because I won't be around for a while and I wanted this up before I left. So enjoy and I'll update ASAP!

Let's see how Kalder's doing, shall we?

(CHAPTER 28) THE DARK SHIP

(LOCATION) – COVENANT HEAVY ASSAULT CARRIER, THE PURIFYING FLAME –

-3 HOURS BEFORE THE UNDERGROUND ASSAULT -

A lone Phantom cruised through Aurora's orbit. Off in the distance in all directions, orbs of orange and blue light from ship to ship battles pinpricked the blackness. Kalder sat in the pilots chair and cautiously maneuvered the Phantom towards the Prophets Heavy Assault Carrier. His A.I., Mitsuki stood on her holo pad running a multitude of calculations through her head.

"Their not just going to open the doors for us on this ship you know." He said calmly to his A.I. Mitsuki looked over at her Spartan. She replied, "I know." as she kept going over her calculations. Kalder continued, "What are the odds of you getting us aboard?" She stared back out of the front view port towards the approaching Covenant Capital Ship. She said, "Only the higher ranked Covenant troops are allowed onboard that ship. We're going to need some sort of special access clearance to even get near it. Given our current situation, I'm giving us a 60% chance of a success of even getting aboard." "It's better than nothing." He said back.

Out of the front view port, Kalder could see the UNSC ships surrounding the Prophet's ship. All were pointed towards it in case they detected it trying to make a slip space jump. Mitsuki quickly sent a private message to the Raven to let General Smith know of her and Kalder's mission. She wanted to make sure that the situation went unchanged and that no suspicious maneuvers were made. She wanted this mission to go as smoothly and as quietly as possible.

The Phantom neared the Prophet's ship. As expected she received an incoming radio transmition as well as the ships plasma cannons sighting on them. "I hope you have a plan for this." Kalder said with concern. Mitsuki gave her usual warm smile and said, "Don't worry, let me handle this." She heard the harsh voice of a brute say, "Pilot, your Phantom is not authorized near the Holy One's ship. Change course or we will open fire." Mitsuki quickly transferred herself through the radio contact as the brute was speaking and with lightning quick speed, easily hacked the ships access code to land in the shuttle bay. Before the brute had finished its first breath she was back aboard the Phantom and preparing a transmition of her own.

The brute on the ship that had been communicating with them sat at a small holo terminal. He saw an icon flash on his screen indicating an incoming transmition. He tapped the claw of his finger on the symbol and received a message back from the Phantom. It read in Covenant text…

"My apologies for not responding sooner. My Phantom's communications were damaged during an aerial assault and I need to land for repairs. My pilot designation is Alpha 762-34B and the access code to my hanger bay is GUIDANCE OF THE LIGHT."

The brute quickly looked up the pilot's information and found it to be an accurate fit to a pilot that was indeed stationed on this ship as well as his correct access code to board. The brute replied back harshly. "Access has been granted; proceed to your designated shuttle bay." The transmition cut out and Mitsuki ran her fingers through her long neon green hair. She looked at her Spartan and said, "You see, hacking onto one of their capitol ships is a breeze." Kalder replied, "That was the easy part. We still have to locate Izumi and get her out of there."

The Phantom approached the ship and headed for one of the shuttle bays. The Prophet's ship was massive up close. It was easily five miles long. As Kalder maneuvered closer to the ship he asked, "I don't suppose you have any idea where she might be located?" Mitsuki replied, "Unfortunately, the terminal I hacked into to get us in here only had information regarding access codes to board the ship as well as cargo information and deployment records. I would need to be interfaced with one of the ships main terminals to accurately pinpoint her location."

As the Spartan maneuvered the Phantom around the Prophet's ship, he saw the shuttle bay come into view. The purple energy barriers keeping the ships atmosphere inside glistened against the dark vacuum of space. He did a quick visual inspection of the shuttle bay to try and see how many troops he would have to deal with. He activated the Phantom's zoom feature on the front view port. Inside he only saw a few grunts in black armor waddling around on the hanger floor doing various tasks and looking over holo screens. "Good." He thought. This would leave him plenty of room to sneak around. The Phantom glided into position for docking and slowly pushed through the energy barrier. Mitsuki quickly transferred part of herself through an undetectable radio frequency and interfaced herself with the hanger's computer system. She quickly made a false message for the crew to check on several of the ships systems in another area of the hanger opposite to where Kalder would be landing. Much like him, she wanted her Spartan to go through this ship as quietly as possible with as few shots fired as possible.

Out of the Phantoms view port, Kalder could slowly see the grunts waddling away to another location. Good, then he would have nothing getting in his way once he landed. The small ship slowly hovered down and lowered its landing gear and killed its engines. Kalder quickly held his hand over Mitsuki's holo panel and she quickly transferred herself back into her Spartans armor. He quickly went to the back of the ship and grabbed his weapons and extra ammo and quickly attached a silencer to his Battle Rifle. He lowered the rear hatch and cautiously sighted around the ships hanger and saw no targets. Once he was sure he was clear, he quickly leapt off the rear of the Phantom and crouched against the walls of the ship taking advantage of any cover he could find. He checked his surroundings. This shuttle bay was huge. A ten leveled ship hanger meant for holding a large storage of drop ships and equipment. The room when full would easily be able to hold sixty Phantoms.

Kalder crouched behind a small uplink crate that was used for long range surface to ship communications. He asked, "Any idea which way we should be heading?" Mitsuki replied, "You're going to have to interface me with a terminal that will allow me to access the ships main frame. Once I'm in there I can guide you." Kalder looked around for some sort of computer system. All he saw were small holo panels used for operations in the shuttle bay. "Where's the closest terminal?" Mitsuki did a quick scan and said, "The closest one I'm picking up is one level above us." A red NAV marker appeared on his HUD. Kalder looked around and saw a door leading into the maze of hallways in the ship. He knew the basic grounds on a Covenant Destroyer and the Frigates but he had never been aboard a Heavy Assault Carrier before, let alone one of this size. He quickly double checked to make sure that all of the shuttle bay crew was out of his range then cautiously made his way over to the door.

With his Battle Rifle held at the SWAT position, he snuck his to the opposite wall of the large shuttle bay. The door sensed his presence and made a dull toned noise as it slid open. He quickly crept into the hall and looked around. He saw no troops. The NAV marker was aimed to his left and above him about twenty feet. He took his most obvious direction and headed down the left side of the hallway.

"While I'm going stealth, I want you to track any and all movement you pick up. I want to know exactly where it is and what direction it's heading." He said quietly to his A.I. Mitsuki replied calmly. "Don't worry; I was planning on that from the start."

Up ahead Kalder saw another door. He quickly neared it and readied himself to step through. Mitsuki quickly said, "Contact heading in our direction, take cover." Kalder quickly saw a stray supply crate sitting in a dark corner of the hallway of the ship. He quickly ducked down behind it and sat absolutely still. He heard the door tone sound and heard heavy footsteps. He sat quiet and slowed his breathing all the while with his finger hovering over the trigger of his Battle Rifle.

A few moments later he saw a lone brute walking down the ships corridor. It wasn't in any sort of armor and didn't even have a weapon. It groaned and stretched its muscles as it walked past, almost as if it looked bored. He thought about rushing up and meleeing the alien in the back of its head but he didn't want to risk another Covenant soldier discovering the body. He sat still and waited till the brute was completely out of sight. Shortly after, he again stood and headed through the next door which led to a ramp.

He continued on up to the next level and saw that his NAV marker was directly down the hallway in front of him. He crept up towards the door and Mitsuki said cautiously, "Be careful, I'm detecting movement inside the room. I'm guessing that it's from grunts due to the size I'm reading." Kalder crouched right next to the door. This one wasn't automatic. He saw two small red dots on his motion tracker and then tapped a red symbol on a small holo panel on the wall. The door slid open and the Spartan quickly rushed inside and silently brought the butt of his weapon down on the skull of the one grunt and quickly repeated the process on the second. The grunts fell limp to the ships floor and died. One's leg gave a few silent twitches before going limp. He quickly pulled the bodies into a small wall compartment to hide them and then went to the room's computer system.

"Hold out your hand." His A.I. instructed. Kalder held the glove of his armor out and Mitsuki's figure appeared in his hand. She quickly looked over the computer system and said, "This is one of the ships small control centers. There's probably dozens of these rooms scattered all over this ship that watch over its various functions." "Can you get her location from this one?" Her Spartan asked. Mitsuki's figure leapt out of his hand and seemed to jump into the computer system. Instantly, Mitsuki disguised herself to show Covenant system traits. She didn't want any of the ship's crew to detect a piece of UNSC hardware in their ship. He saw her reappear on one of the small holo monitors. She replied with excitement. "This is incredible! There are so many new systems that I've never encountered before." She paused and then grinned a rare sly smile. "Oh I'm going to have fun in here." Kalder sighed and said, "Look, I know this must be fun for you but I really need that location." Mitsuki sighed and said, "Relax, I'm going through the ships files now. I'll have her location for you in a second."

Even for a Starship's A.I., she found this ship rather difficult to navigate around. The Heavy Assault Carrier's systems were much larger than any of the UNSC's ships that she had ever been on. Not to mention the trouble she had navigating herself through the ships complex circuitry. She eventually found her destination and quickly hacked through the access codes and searched for Izumi.

She came across a file with Covenant text that translated to the human word for Chancellor. Good, she had found it. With lightning quick speed she studied the entire file and read over every last detail. There was a list from everything as small as her food rations, guards on duty for her location and other information such as her visit to the Prophet as well as a scheduled interrogation. Mitsuki quickly erased the Interrogation schedule in hopes that it would buy the Chancellor some safety until Kalder could reach her. She then took notice of her location. Izumi was located in a detention block near the bridge of the ship, most likely for easy access to the Prophet. Her location was slightly over four miles from Kalder's position on the ship. It would be far too risky for him to navigate that distance and go with minimal shots fired. Mitsuki quickly scanned an entire map of the Prophet's ship for the best possible rout.

She found a tram system that ran the entire length of the ship that was used for transporting troops and supplies. That would be his best bet for a quick route. She immediately found a location to one of the trams stops that was closest to Kalder's current position and saved it to her memory as well as the map of the entire ship. She immediately transferred data to Kalder's HUD. He saw a layout of the ship and a blue dot that marked his location. "Alright, you're here." Mitsuki said calmly. She zoomed out the image of the ship and continued, "And you need to get all the way over here." Kalder sighed, "Are you fucking kidding me!? She's at the complete opposite end of this ship!" "Relax." Mitsuki told him calmly, "You're going to get aboard a cargo tram which will take you near her location, so all of the ships midsection will be completely bypassed. However, the end of the ship she's being held on will be heavily guarded by the higher ranked brutes and Honor Guards." Kalder held up his rifle. He said sternly, "I could care less what's over there. It's their own fault for getting in my way."

Kalder quickly set his Battle Rifle to single round bursts and then said, "Are you ready?" Mitsuki replied calmly, "I can't go with you." Kalder looked at his A.I. "What do you mean?" Mitsuki calmly said, "I need to stay in the ships system. It will be much easier for me to track troop movements and locations from in the ships system. Don't worry, I'll still be able to communicate with you over your radio and I'll also be able to use this location to my advantage." Kalder laid his rifle against his shoulder. "What sort of advantages?" Mitsuki again made a rare sly grin and said, "Just some little things." Mitsuki snapped her fingers and the lights in the room went out minus the computer she was currently in. She continued with a smile, "Like running dark for example and shutting down the ships drive reactor." Kalder quickly looked around then said, "What did you do?" His A.I. replied happily, "Nothing special, just caused a black out through the entire rear section of the ship and immobilized the reactor so they can't get away. Don't worry; all of the doors will still function on motion tracker so you won't have to pry them open. Just activate the night vision on your visor and you'll be fine." "You're amazing Mitsuki." Kalder said as he readied to head out into the ship. "I know." She chirped happily.

Before he headed back out into the ships halls, Mitsuki continued, "And don't worry, I'll be watching you the whole time, and if you absolutely need me back in your armor, just find another one of these control centers and I'll link back up with you." Kalder nodded and the holo panel Mitsuki was on went dark. She came on over his radio, "Don't worry, I'm going to run dark as well." Kalder activated his helmets night vision and then opened the door leading back out into the ships halls. And as Mitsuki had told him, the ship was completely dark in his area. His A.I. continued, "One last thing, I bet you can't make it to the tram without getting seen." Kalder grinned under his visor. "You're on!"

(IZUMI'S LOCATION) - 5 MINUTES EARILER –

She had only been back in her holding cell for a little over an hour when the Prophet had again summoned her back to the bridge of the ship. It was the same routine as before. A group of brute Chieftains put her arms into the energy braces and led her through the maze of corridors and back up the large lift towards the Prophet.

Once on the bridge and the brutes left the two alone, Izumi said with sarcasm and hate, "You rang?" The Prophet's hovering throne slowly turned to face her. The hunched alien replied, "Come forward, girl." Izumi frowned and slowly walked forward towards the Prophet. He was sitting close to the large curved window at the front of the ship. He motioned her to look out towards Aurora. Down below, she could see the sky, as well as the aurora's glowing blood red. She could also see a glowing orange circle near the southern end of Eclipse. "Do you see?" The Prophet said calmly, "The drilling is complete. We can now begin to unearth the secrets of the gods!" Izumi frowned, "I already told you, I'm not leading you to, Them."

The Prophet scoffed. He slowly turned to face Izumi and said, "I was hoping that you would see things are way. Even now I see that you will remain to stand firm and not change your foolish mind. However…" The Prophet tapped a small button on his throne and a small holo screen appeared. He tapped a series of symbols on the holo screen and a large image projected on the front viewport of the bridge. The Prophet continued, "I have other ways of… convincing you." Izumi felt her pulse begin to quicken. "What are you doing?" She asked frantically. Redemption tapped his long wrinkled fingertips against one another as he waited for the ships computer to calculate. A series of text and symbols scrolled across the front view port. Izumi turned and looked. She was able to depict Covenant symbols after learning to read them when the war became more serious. The text that flashed on the screen read, "ACQUIRING TARGET" "The Prophet continued in his aged voice, "We could make this so much easier by simply removing the rest of your city from our path. Perhaps even some of the other surrounding metropolis's?" "You can't!" Izumi yelled.

The text again changed and read "TARGET ACQUIRED… CHARGING PLASMA TURRETS 7-24"

"You made your choice." The Prophet told her. "It was a simple task appointed to you, and you chose the more difficult way." Izumi fell to her knees and broke down. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks because she knew that she allowed her planet to again suffer another attack from the Covenant. "Your tears will get you no mercy on my ship." Redemption said slowly. "This decision was made on your own account." The Prophet readied to press the symbol on his holo panel to give the order to fire when a red emergency light popped up on his view port.

It read, "-CRITICAL POWER FAILURE- (SHIP SECTIONS 986 THROUGH 1500 UNDER BLACKOUT) (URGENT!) –REACTOR POWERING DOWN-

The prophet cursed in its native tongue. The entire rear section of his ship, as well as his ships main drive reactor was under a blackout. He quickly deactivated the ships plasma turrets and brought up the status menus for the rear of the ship. He was unable to access the security cameras for that portion of the ship due to lack of power. He opened up a personal holo communication to his ships workers. Izumi looked at the small holo screen the Prophet was looking into, she could see a grunt in black armor appear. The Prophet called out, "You there! Technician! I need to know the situation with the rear sector of the ship!" The grunt stuttered its reply towards the angry Prophet. "E-Excellency, we're working on the problem as we speak! We should be functioning again normally within moments!" The Prophet frowned and said, "You had better, or I shall have your head!"

Redemption severed the communication and turned to Izumi. "Stand, girl!" He ordered. Izumi slowly pulled her trembling body off of the floor and stood. The Prophet hit a symbol on his throne and several Brutes walked into the room. He continued, "You are to return to your cell! I shall send for you again when this is sorted out, and you WILL lead me to the realm of the god's, and if you refuse, it is you who will pay the price!" Izumi frowned, still with fresh tears streaming down her pale cheeks, "Kill me and you will NEVER even get near, Them! I suggest that YOU choose your actions more carefully in the future! You wouldn't want your key to your treasure to simply vanish now would you?" The Prophet snarled angrily at Izumi. He motioned his arm sternly at the brutes and yelled "Take her out of my sight!" As the door to the Prophet's chamber was closing, Izumi heard him yell, "And have the Drill return back to hyper space! It's no longer needed here!"

Kalder had been silently creeping down the dark corridors of the Prophets ship. He had a few close run in's with a handful of Jackals and Grunts. All of which were easily brought down with the butt end of his Battle Rifle. The NAV marker on his visor was constantly updating with new quicker routes to this tram line.

He had been walking down a long dark corridor for nearly three hundred feet. Up ahead in his night vision visor setting, he could see a door. He approached it and it opened as its dull tone sounded. Inside he stopped and froze. His night vision picked up two Hunters standing at the opposite end of a medium sized room. He didn't want to engage these two massive aliens. They were big, bulky, and loud. His cover would be instantly blown and all of the Covenant would be aware of his presence aboard the ship.

This room provided minimal cover. Only a few supply crates were scattered throughout the room. He quietly slipped through the darkness and crouched down behind a small supply crate. He looked back out and saw the two Hunters still standing at the opposite end of the room communicating in their native tones. Without paying attention, he felt the tip of his boot slip on the metal deck of the ship and tap loudly against the wall. He froze and heard the two Hunter's armor clack as they began to move and investigate the sound. "Shit!" He mumbled to himself. The door he came in was still open. He cautiously pulled out one of the spare clips for his Battle Rifle. He silently pulled out three rounds from the clip and held them in his hand. He took a hold of one of the rounds and tossed it into the hallway that he had just come though. He heard the Hunter's take interest in the sound and move closer to investigate. He quickly tossed another round into the dark corridor. The two Hunter's again moved closer. He finally tossed the last round and then sat completely motionless and waited.

He felt the floor shake as the two massive aliens approached. He sat and waited. In his night vision, he saw the pair of massive aliens stomp past him with their spines raised and their fuel rod cannons up and at the ready. When he was sure they were at a safe distance, he quickly slid out from his position and headed out through the opposite door.

Mitsuki came on over his radio. "You're almost to the tram. Be on alert, Covenant maintenance teams are heading towards your end of the ship." "Alright." Kalder told her back calmly. On his motion tracker he saw one lone red dot on the other side of the door he was about to pass through. He saw the dot was moving away from his position. He quickly put his Battle Rifle on the back of his suit and then approached the door. It opened slowly and in his night vision, he saw a lone grunt walking with a flashlight and looking over the ships wiring. He quickly sprinted forward and grabbed the grunt by its neck and snapped it. He quietly set the alien down on the ship's deck, deactivated its small flashlight, and advanced forward.

"You're almost there!" Mitsuki chirped happily. "The next door leads to one of the Tram stations." Kalder looked behind him to make sure nothing was following only saw the dead grunt he had just killed and the eerie blackness of the corridor. He went through the door and stepped into a room that looked a lot like a Metro Station. The room was dark and was only illuminated by a few dull red emergency lights.

Kalder looked around and saw no one around. As he advanced forward he also noticed that there was no form of transportation at the station. He quickly opened up his COM. "Mitsuki, where's this Tram?" She replied, "Just sit tight, I'm tracking on that's inbound towards your station. I'd take cover though, it's loaded with a Covenant maintenance crew." Kalder saw a stack of supply crates stacked against the wall. He quickly slipped over to their location and crouched down with his Battle Rifle at the ready.

A few moments later, he saw what looked like head lights coming down the tram tunnel that ran the length of the ship. He sat completely still and waited. A few moments later one of the Tram's pulled in; the vehicle consisted of three sleekly curved transport cars meant for both crew and equipment. This one had a crew of five Jackals as well as ten Brutes. All wore what looked like equipment suits and all were armed with plasma weaponry. He watched as the crew stepped off of the tram and rolled off large equipment cases, most likely ones meant for repairs. The crew slowly headed towards the stations exit door. He watched as they slowly walked past.

One jackal walking on the outer edge of the group happened to take notice of the small hints of light coming from Kalder's location. The Spartan saw the jackal slowly approaching then realized the situation. The small lights on his armor that indicated his suit was fully powered and functioning had given away his position. The jackal screeched and pulled out its plasma pistol. The other troops hearing the commotion quickly turned in time to see the jackal's head blown from its body by Battle Rifle rounds. "So much for stealth!" Kalder uttered out as he began to open fire on his opponents.

The brutes immediately dropped their tool boxes to the floor and pulled out their red Plasma Rifles. Kalder felt a barrage of plasma strike his suit and immediately eat away at his shields. He switched his Battle Rifle back to three round bursts and began to pick off the brutes. A jackal ran over to one of the ships emergency alert systems. It punched through the protective glass barrier and pounded its claw like fist into a red symbol. An alert tone, much like a fire alarm, immediately echoed through the ships long dark halls. Kalder quickly sighted on the jackal and blew it away with a well placed shot to its back.

Kalder paused to reload. He expelled the spent clip and slammed in a fresh one and forced the bolt back into place. He found himself beginning to get over run and his shields were nearly dead. Mitsuki frantically contacted him and yelled, "Get in the Tram and get out of there! They know you're onboard now, no sense in trying to stay under cover anymore!" Kalder pulled out a Frag Grenade and pulled the pin. He quickly tossed it into the center of the Brutes. A few moments later, a loud WHAM! echoed through the room as the device deatonated. Two of the brutes were killed in the explosion and the rest were stunned or injured. Kalder quickly made a break for the Tram.

One of the brutes quickly shook off the effects of the grenade and again unloaded on the Spartan. His shields died and as he leapt aboard the Tram, he felt a hard slam to his back. He yelled out in pain and fell to the floor of the small train as Mitsuki quickly accelerated the tram into the dark tunnel.

"Are you alright!?" Mitsuki frantically asked. Kalder reached around to his back and ran his fingers over the source of his pain. He hissed in pain and pulled his hand back and saw that it was covered in blood. "Dammit!" He cursed. "Are you going to be alright?" Mitsuki asked with concern. Kalder felt his armor automatically inject Bio-Foam into his wound. The Spartan frowned in pain from the injection of the stinging foam. With Mitsuki away from him, he wouldn't have the luxury of the Nanites to repair his injury. It didn't matter, the Bio-Foam would keep him going for now. He looked into the deep tunnel and replied, "I'll be fine."

Mitsuki sighed and said, "I'll stop us at a station that's closest to her location. Can you manage against the Honor Guards with that wound?" Kalder cracked a smile and said, "This scratch is nothing. Their gonna need to throw a lot more my way to try and stop me."


	29. THE GUARDIANS

(CHAPTER 29) THE GUARDIANS

She had never felt like this before. The amount of power in the underground networks main frame left Yuna feeling ecstatic with power. She had begun her exploration of the system as soon as Eric left the core room and headed back out into the tunnels. This cyber world was much different than anything she had ever been in before in her short life. Ordinarily, the cyber world was a dark place filled with set paths for her to roam around; paths that appeared to her as black walls with strands of light and orbs of power whizzing past her. The cyber world in her eyes, along with any other artificial intelligence would look to the human eye as looking at a three dimensional circuit board; with countless lines of set circuitry, and systems.

This place however was different. Yuna found herself walking around in a dully lit area that seemed to extend out into infinity. Every so often as she explored, she would come across data in the form of an orb of floating light. They wouldn't move, change, or even acknowledge her presence at all as she passed them. They seemed almost ghostly, as if they hadn't even been activated in a millennia.

She came across an orb of light that seemed to bob up and down slightly. This one was different and had a slight red tint to it. Yuna paused and slowly approached the orb. The ball of light, like the others, didn't even acknowledge the presence of the A.I. It was all so strange, even these small areas of the system should at least give some acknowledgement that another source of power was near. Yuna recollected her thoughts. She needed to remember that she wasn't on a starship and that these systems were far different from the technology that she was used too.

She focused her neon blue eyes into the center of the slowly pulsing orb and then reached out her delicate pale hands. She held her palms out and slowly placed her hands on the orb. Yuna gasped and instantly she was pulled into an entirely separate system. The setting around her changed and she was now standing in a dark room with a genteel red flashing that seemed to come from nowhere. She walked into the room and found a data cube floating in the center of the room she was in. It was a black box with red light coming from its eight corners. She gently tapped it with the tip of her pointer finger and a list of systems popped up. The text that popped up seemed to resemble the symbols on the holo panels that Eric had seen on his way down to the core room. She instantly adapted herself and quickly translated the text.

It read…

(WARNING!)

Critical failure in the security matrix-

Containment has failed-

Outbreak risk- (IMMINENT)

Installation's number 1-7 have been activated-

EMERGENCY TERMINATION OF ALL SYSTEMS, FUNCTIONS, PRODUCTION, AND SETTINGS is to be in effect until further notice-

(ENGAGING EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN OF THE FOLLOWING…)

Production facilities- Number's 1through 500

Power systems to the core matrix are to be on –STANDBY- until manual reactivation is engaged-

Further production of -ALL- Bio-Organism's is to be canceled-

Conceal (VEIL) in protective lockdown until further risk is avoided-

(ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES…)

Continued activation of the Sentinels, as well as further production-

Constant monitoring of Installations 1 through 7 as well as THE ARC-

The guardians of this planet are to be released to stop this infestation, Leave the guardians that are not yet prepared in stasis until further notice-

(FINAL ENTRY)

_What we have tried to perfect has failed. Those who we have tried to protect are gone. The experiment has failed and now cannot be stopped without the final desperate measure. We can now only hope that we can survive the containment and rebuild. Until that time, I have initiated a total core lockdown until further notice and reactivation. A handful of ship are evacuating to THE ARC in hopes that we will be able to wait this disaster out while a large number of us will remain behind to activate our last 7 hopes for survival. _

_Know that our intentions were not to harm, but to further improve all of our lives for the better. It is now known that even we were not ready for what has happened. All of our careful planning was drastically flawed. We were so blind by desire for production and power that we were not able to prepare for this. _

_And so I leave with the survivors with this request. Stop this infestation, destroy all that remains of our failed attempts at power, and above all, -LET NO HARM COME TO (VEIL)!-_

_I now give word. Activate the Installations. Stop this madness before it can do any more harm._

_Remember me always,_

_Satura- _

Yuna closed the data array before her and pulled herself out of the orb. She stood silent and thought. All of the information instantly processed in her mind and she said out loud. "Forerunner's. This whole underground network, even this entire planet was a Forerunner outpost!" She instantly flashed through all of her collected data and came across the files from SPARTAN-117. She immediately opened them and pulled out the files on the virus known as "The Flood." The virus that was kept contained on the ring installations known as "the Halo rings" for study. She didn't know as much about the flood or the Forerunner's as Cortana did and she wished that she was here with here to help with this problem.

Yuna opened up her own private COM. She called out. "UNSC A.I. CEREAL NUMBER, YND 4521-7 calling long range to UNSC A.I. CEREAL NUMBER CTN 0452-9" Yuna paused and heard no sign of a reply. It wasn't surprising. Cortana could be anywhere in the galaxy and it wasn't even guaranteed that she would receive the message. She continued anyway. "Cortana, its Yuna. I'm on the planet Aurora along with Eric, Devon, and Kalder, as well as with Mitsuki, and Dokuro. I have discovered information regarding the Forerunner's as well as the Flood Virus. You posses far more knowledge on them then I do. I'm requesting any additional information that you can send me as well as information regarding the Sentinels, and an unknown class known as "Guardians." If you are receiving, please respond."

Yuna immediately sent the message and then again checked her surroundings. She was still in the same large white area with the pulsing red orb of light in front of her. She stood silent for a few seconds and waited and just as expected, received no reply. She sighed and thought to herself. "It's alright, you're a big girl, you can figure this out on your own."

She turned and looked at her surroundings. The bright area had countless orbs of light that seemed to extend out as far as the eye could see. She needed to compile as much information as she could to help Eric with his mission. As far as she knew, this area could be a key part in stopping the Covenant. They were hell bent enough getting to this area first so whatever it was that they were after she wanted to get to it first.

The cobalt blue boots of Devon's armor touched down on a metal floor. He folded up the wings of his Angel Pack and surveyed his area. He had landed on what looked like an old elevator that seemed to have been destroyed centuries ago. He saw an exit door that was damaged as well. His guess was this elevator had fallen down the shaft. He walked over to the door and saw that they were left semi cracked open. He put his fingers between the gaps of the two doors and pried them open. The metal doors creaked and groaned as they were forced apart.

He managed to pry the doors far enough for himself to squeeze through. Once past them he found himself in another dark tunnel. The only source of light he saw came from a small orange and purple glow about one hundred feet from his location. He walked towards the light and realized that it was coming from a holo panel that was mounted next to a large door.

Much like Eric, Devon found the symbols on the holo panel to be strangely familiar. He rested his Sniper Rifle on his shoulder and tapped his pointer finger on a center triangle shaped symbol. He heard a large latch move and the door slowly slid open. Ahead of him he saw a curved path that led downward out of sight. This path; however, was illuminated by dull lights that rested against the floor. He held his Sniper Rifle at a lowered position and continued on.

"Whoa!" Dokuro said suddenly. "What is it?" Devon asked. She continued, "I just picked up a sudden energy spike right after we crossed through that doors threshold." "Is it the source we've been after?" Her Spartan asked. She replied, "I don't know. I'll need to interface with the source before I can know for sure. But whatever it's coming from we're close to the source." "Then it's probably at the end of this hallway." Devon told her.

The Spartan continued down the curved path and eventually came to another door. This one was different, and bared no resemblance to the large blast style doors that he had been passing through. This one had no mechanism to unlock it, and was covered in geometric patterns and symbols. Devon searched the door and looked for some way to open it. He found nothing. "Hang on." Dokuro said. She projected her figure to its human height and walked up to the door. She continued, "Let me take a look at it."

The A.I. held her hands up in front of the door. They quickly pulsed with energy and the symbols on the door began to glow a neon blue. Dokuro quickly hacked through the doors security lock down and unlocked it. As she was pulling herself from the doors systems a bright red flash appeared in her vision with black text appearing in the middle. Dokuro gasped and quickly backed herself away from the door.

"What happened!?" Devon asked as he ran to his A.I.'s aid. "Are you alright?" He asked. Dokuro quickly regained her thoughts and stood silent. She knew she had seen that text somewhere before and quickly sifted there her data files and tried to do a match. She quickly found a top secret data file that she had been holding onto from Dr. Halsey's own private files. It was a file containing Forerunner text and translations. It was one of the files that Cortana had compiled from her stay in the Halo ring's control room. She thought to herself, "Forerunner script, here?" She quickly translated the text that flashed across her vision moments before. It read, "DANGER! SECURITY ZONE LOCKDOWN!"

Dokuro turned to face her Spartan. She looked up at him and said, "You're not going to believe this. We're in a Forerunner Installation." Devon replied, "What? The Forerunner's that built those Ring's that John fought on?" Dokuro nodded. "Yeah, those Forerunners." Devon looked around. "But I thought they only existed on those Ring installations?" Dokuro sighed. "No! This is why I tell you to read those mission reports and not just skip over everything! They built those Halo Ring's as outposts. They occupied other planets for their main civilizations. Their artifacts have been found on several other of the colonies as well. That is until the Covenant came to them, took what they want then glassed the worlds. And now, we know why they came to this one!"

Dokuro quickly turned and held her slender hand over a symbol on the door behind her. It slowly began to open and she turned back to her Spartan. "They have something hidden down here. And I think I just unlocked one of their secrets." Dokuro quickly vanished back inside her Spartan's armor and began to compile the small amount of data that she had just found.

Devon held his Sniper Rifle at the ready as he watched the door ahead of him open. Inside was a massive room that resembled that of a museum. Inside was lit by the same dim lights that lined the hallway leading to this room. The walls had large sections of holographic symbols that slowly scrolled along the surface as well as dark statues that lined the main area of the room. In the center of the room was a large holographic statue of what looked like a person standing in a hooded robe and holding an ornate staff. The hologram stood on a large pedestal that was on a small round island of a shallow man made river that flowed through the center of the room.

Devon slowly walked down a flight of large stairs that led to the floor of the large room. Dokuro said calmly, "That hologram of that person, I'm picking up a serious amount of energy from it. Take me to it." Devon walked on ahead and took notice of the statues. They were sleek, jet black creatures with long whip like tails and had large razor sharp looking spines that dominated their bodies. They looked familiar but he couldn't quite recognize what it was. He continued on and came to the small man made river that flowed through the center of the room. It only appeared to be a little over a foot deep and the water didn't seem to be moving fast. He stepped down into the crystal clear water and splashed his way across to the small round island in the center of the room.

The holographic statue was mounted on a round metal cylinder that stood at least ten feet tall. The cylinder was completely covered in lines of metal tubes and wires which extended out from the base of the structure out into the walls of the room. Around the perimeter was a holo panel that circled the entire base that almost looked like a large control pad. Dokuro again projected her figure to its human height and then approached the base of the holograms pedestal. She held her delicate hand out and quickly began to study what she had just found. Instantly, upon her access, she was stopped by a message that appeared in her vision in the Forerunner text which she quickly translated.

It read…

(ALERT)

All Guardians are to be released-

Those still not yet complete are to remain in Stasis-

(VEIL) must be protected at all costs-

(FINAL ENTRY)

_(VEIL) has been secured and is in hibernation and securely sealed away. No re-activation of (VEIL) is to be preformed until all has been deemed safe. As a final precaution, my best Guardian has been placed in stasis in this room should any danger threaten (VEIL). With this final entry, I must leave now for the safety of THE ARC to attempt to halt this outbreak._

_Last Entry,_

_Satura-_

Dokuro was puzzled. "Guardian's?" She thought to herself. She instantly jumped from the safety of her chip in Devon's armor to the holo system in front of her. Devon felt a sudden shock shoot through him as his A.I. suddenly disengaged herself from him. "What the hell?" He called out. Dokuro again re projected herself in front of the holo panel and turned to her Spartan. She said, "Look, I'm trying to work something out here. Can you give me a second?" Devon shrugged. "Whatever you need." Dokuro turned back to face the holo panel and said, "Good, and please for the love of god, don't touch anything." Devon shook his head and left his A.I. to her work.

Dokuro fully interfaced herself with the system and found herself in an all new cyber world, one by the likes of which she had never experienced before. She found herself in a world of shimmering golden light. In this world she saw rows of countless files of data that were stored in shimmering cylinder shaped objects. She slowly began to walk towards the glowing cylinders to try and sort out some information. Everything she saw was in Forerunner context and it took her a while to translate it all. From what she could piece together, (VEIL) as it was called was a system that controlled this underground facility. A lot of the data on (VEIL) seemed to be missing or in a security lockdown that even she couldn't figure out how to access.

From what she could piece together, something terrible had happened in this underground world, and to the rest of the planet for that matter. She was unable; however, to completely piece together everything that had happened. She began to go through her own personal data files on what little was known about the Forerunner's from Dr. Halsey's own personal files in an attempt to try and access some of the locked down areas. However, before she could continue on any farther, she felt herself being ripped away from the cyber world. Her hologram gasped as she re focused and again found herself standing in the large room and saw the holo panel before her flashing wildly and streaming data.

She quickly turned and saw her Spartan down on his knees as if he had tripped. She sternly asked, "What did you DO!?" Devon stood and turned. He pulled up a wire that had been severed with a frayed sparking end flickering with small sparks of power. He told her back, "I tripped over this and I guess the weight of my suit kinda severed it." Dokuro readied herself to continue yelling at her Spartan but stopped and slowly turned when she detected movement behind her. She saw the cylinder shaped terminal behind her flash up screens of data and slowly rise up revealing a large tank containing a pale green colored liquid with something inside it.

A data panel appeared with flashing alerts surrounding it. It read, "Primary Sedation Line has been cut. Stasis Main Power (OFFLINE) Engage emergency Re Animation!"

(SUBJECT)

-MASTER GUARDIAN-

STATUS: Regaining normal body temperature and movement allowance-

HEART RATE: 380 BPM

BODY: Unharmed

STASIS EXIT: In Progress-

Dokuro looked on at the massive jet black creature in the tank in front of her. It stood at least 20 feet tall and at 40 feet long. It had massive razor sharp talons on its feet and hands and looked like a sleek stealth vehicle. The creature opened its bright neon green eyes and it raised a row of razor sharp spines on its back. "Oh no! Not good!" Dokuro said in shock as her figure slowly started to back away. In her data files she quickly learned that she had now found herself face to face with a Guardian and quickly realized that the Guardians were Theta's. This one was also noticeably larger than the ones that Eric and Kalder had encountered earlier back in the glass fields. She quickly tried to disengage herself from the terminal but found herself stuck in a sea of data that prevented her processes from disengaging.

Devon quickly ran towards the stasis tank to get his A.I. back into the safety of his armor. As he made it back to the river circling the small island that housed the stasis tank, the Theta moved. Devon quickly pulled out his Sniper Rifle and held it at the ready. The Theta groaned and began to flex its body. Air bubbles poured from its mouth as it began to thrash around inside the solution within the tank. The Theta lunged its large claws forward and shattered the glass of the stasis tank causing the fluid to pour out. The creature quickly forced its body forward and crashed through the jagged edges of the glass still left in the tank. It stood up on its hind legs and let out an ear deafening shriek. Devon instantly dropped his Sniper Rifle to the ground and slammed his hands against his helmet in an attempt to hold his ears.

The Theta instantly took notice of him and went down into a crouched position as if readying itself to pounce on its prey. Devon quickly picked up his Sniper Rifle and unloaded a clip into the Theta's head. The Theta let out several yells as the .50 caliber rounds impacted off of the armor like plating on its head. To the Spartan's shock, the rounds barely left a scratch. He heard Dokuro yelling for him. "Get me back in your armor and get us out of here! You won't be able to kill it without stronger weapons!" He yelled back, "Don't tell me shit like that when I'm staring death in the face!"

The Theta made a quick lunge at the Spartan which he quickly rolled out of the way from. Devon quickly began to regain his footing and instantly felt a hard impact to the left side of his Battle Suit. He heard his suits alarms scream and his shield meter flashed red for both his battle suit and Angel Pack. He had been slammed by the Theta's powerful fist and was sent sliding along the floor. The impact left him with the wind nearly knocked from his lungs. He ignored the pain and quickly inhaled sharply and got to his feet. He quickly pulled a plasma grenade form his armors belt and primed it. He tossed the grenade and stuck the Theta right on the back of its head. The grenade exploded with a brilliant blue flash. Much to Devon's frustration, he had only managed to stun the alien. "Quit pissing it off and get us out of here!" He heard Dokuro yell.

The Theta quickly shook off the effect of the grenade and instantly slashed its razor sharp claws at the Spartan. He quickly flexed the wings of his Angel Pack and folded them around his body as he leapt backwards just barely dodging the slash. He quickly flexed his legs and leapt into the air activating the thrusters of his pack. The Theta growled and leapt into the air with lightning quick speed slapped him out of the air like an insect. He again felt his shields die as he was rapidly slammed down onto the floor below. He grunted in pain as he tried to refocus. The Theta landed in the small river with a splash. It took notice of the Spartan struggling to his feet and instantly sent its razor sharp talons through the black layer of his suit and piercing deep into his flesh. Devon let out a yell of pain and frantically tried to pull himself away from the Theta's claws.

Dokuro gasped in fear and instantly searched for options to help her carrier. She quickly took notice of the power lines running through the small river and instantly did a power surge. The sudden increase in power quickly over loaded the lines sending power out into the river. The Theta felt the electricity surge through its body and let out another ear deafening shriek. It lunged its talons out of Devon's body, tearing the flesh as they went. Devon yelled out as his blood poured from his body and onto the floor. The Theta fell over stunned and Dokuro quickly yelled out. "Get me back in your armor, NOW!" Devon quickly stumbled to his feet, fighting off the pain the best that he could. He ran to the stasis tank and quickly pulled out Dokuro's chip and held it out. Dokuro quickly re interfaced herself with her chip and her Spartan instantly put her back into the safety of his armor.

Dokuro quickly scanned the room for an escape route. She took notice of the river flowing into a small tunnel that was just big enough for Devon to fit his armor through but left no room for the massive Theta. She quickly put a NAV marker up on Devon's HUD and said, "Get there now! That's our exit out of here!" Devon grinned in pain as he stumbled forward and splashed down into the stream as he headed for the tunnel. He heard the Theta behind him begin to regain its footing and begin to give chase. He quickened his pace to a sprint and made a diving leap for the tunnel and slid inside just as the Theta's large jaws bit the air where he just was.

He crawled in a few more feet then turned around to see the Theta trying to reach for him with its massive claws. Devon frowned under his visor and held up his middle finger at the massive alien. "Right there buddy!" He said as he quickly began to crawl deeper into the tunnel.

Sever hundred feet in, his adrenaline levels began to level out and his pain returned. Dokuro quickly deployed a round of Nanites to close off his wound and seal the black layer of his suit. "Did I not specifically say to not touch anything!?" Dokuro scolded. Devon shot back. "I tripped. I wasn't paying attention!" "You nearly got us both killed…, Again!" She yelled. Devon sighed and said, "Look I'm sorry, I was just trying to make sure the area was safe while you did your scan. I didn't mean to fuck it up like that. I just wanted to be sure that you were safe." Dokuro sighed and sat quiet for a few seconds. She then made the gel later of Devon's suit constrict slightly around his torso. It was an A.I.'s way to give their Spartan a hug. She calmly said, "It's never a dull moment with you, you know that? I just didn't want to be the one to tell Anna that you died doing something stupid." Devon laughed lightly to himself and patted his hand over his freshly healed suit and skin. The area felt stiff and numb but the pain was gone which was nice for him.

He turned on his visors night vision and said, "Well, any idea where this tunnel goes?" Dokuro quickly did an area scan and said, "This tunnel continues for about five hundred feet, after that we should be back in another area of the tunnels. Devon sighed. "Not much of a change." "Don't be so sure." Dokuro told him. She continued. "When I was in that terminal, I found out that the Theta's or the Guardians as the Forerunner's call them, are scattered all through the deeper areas of the underground network. From what I found out, their guarding a system called "VEIL", I don't know what it is or what it does, but whatever VEIL is, I'm guessing that it's what the Covenant came here for, and what the Theta's are guarding." Devon sighed and said, "You told me earlier that I don't have the weapons to stop those bastards. Any ideas on how I'm supposed to get passed them if we find them?" Dokuro replied cheerfully. "Easily! You go stealth!" Devon sighed. "Stealth really isn't my thing." Well good news then!" Dokuro chirped, "You're about to make a change in tactics!"

Devon sighed and continued crawling through the dark tunnel. "I don't like stealth! It's boring!" "I choose boring over death!" His A.I. replied sternly. She continued, "You want to see Anna again don't you?" Devon sighed and said back calmly, "Fine… I'll do some stealth." "That's what I thought!"

Dokuro quickly scanned the area ahead. She wasn't picking up any movement coming from the exit of the tunnel. For the most part it seemed like they were alone again; but for all she knew, the Theta's could use stealth to their advantage as well. She cautioned. "Just be careful up ahead. I don't really know what all we're going to have to be dealing with."


	30. REACTIVATION

Sorry for the delay. What with my 21st. birthday and college starting up again, I'm stretched for time. I'll try to get chapter 31 up as soon as I can.

(CHAPTER 30) REACTIVATION

Eric held his shotgun at a lowered position as he walked back towards the cross paths. "This is crazy!" He thought to himself. Yuna had told him to head deeper into the facility to find a terminal to reactivate parts of the facility that were under lock down. How was she even sure that this terminal was still functioning? He sighed as he came to the fork in the path and turned down the opposite path that led deeper underground.

This tunnel descended down several hundred feet before turning to the right and finally ending at a door. He saw another glowing holo terminal mounted to the wall. This one just had a large orange rectangle hovering over a purple background. He tapped his fingertip against the holo panel and heard the door slide open. He held his shotgun up and looked inside. The door in fact, led to an elevator. The elevator itself was a round disk that just seemed to hover with no form of a cable system holding it up. Eric opened his COM to Yuna. "Hey Yuna, can you still keep contact with me from there?" He heard her calm reply. "Mhmm," She said cheerfully. "You're still coming in clear." Eric looked around and said, "Good, because I found an elevator and I have no clue how far down it goes. I just wanted to be sure you could still keep in touch with me before I head down." Yuna replied, "Well, we'll find out. Head down and contact me again when you reach the bottom. I'm still trying to piece together all of the areas of this facility so I'll keep your HUD updated as often as I can." Eric tapped another holo panel inside the elevator and the platform shuttered as it rapidly began to descend deeper underground. "Alright, I'll call back as soon as I reach the bottom."

The Theta snarled and shrieked loudly as it slashed at the small tunnel where Devon had just escaped through. It knew in its mind that it couldn't give any further chase. It backed up and looked back at the stasis tank that it had just emerged from. It had no idea how long it had been in stasis for. All it knew was that its creators put it in a secure sleep until it was needed. It knew it had been awoken for one specific purpose. It was one of the stronger out of all of the Theta's and was given the direct order of protecting (VEIL). The Theta narrowed its glowing green eyes and snarled. It knew that if one intruder was down here, that there could be more. It had a priority of protecting this facilities most valuable asset. It flexed its iron strong legs and leapt high into the air and slithered into a maintenance tunnel that the Sentinels used. It was large enough for it to fit through and would be useful in traveling around the facility quickly. In its mind, it knew that it wouldn't let anything get near (VEIL). And if something chose to challenge it, it would make sure that it didn't live to try it again.

The elevator ride took nearly fifteen minutes. Eric had no idea how far he had descended. The doors at the bottom of the shaft opened revealing another long series of tunnels. These ones, however, were illuminated by red lights that pulsed; much like emergency lighting on a starship. Another, more noticeable feature, was that this area was far warmer then the tunnels where he just came from. He pulled up an option on his visors HUD and did a temperature reading. The hallway was a blistering 255 degrees and heat waves could be seen vibrating in the red lighting. It didn't matter though. His suits shields would be fine for keeping the heat off of him as well as his suit itself would keep him cool through the temperature controlled gel layer.

He opened his COM and contacted Yuna. "Yuna, I've reached the bottom, can you still hear me?" He heard several seconds of nothing but static followed by Yuna's warped voice. After a few seconds, she managed to come through clear. She said, "Sorry about that, I had to make some major adjustments to even get my signal to reach you. Do you have any idea how far down you are?" "No clue." He replied, "Everything looks the same, makes it hard to judge distances and such." Yuna sighed at his sarcasm then continued. "You are currently 35 miles below the surface, so in other words, you're basically on the edge of the planets mantle." Eric looked around and then said, "Well that explains why its so god damned hot down here!"

He herd Yuna sigh and then say, "Look, quit your bitching and get a move on. That terminal I need you to activate is close." Eric started walking into the scorching hot tunnel. Like usual, the entire area looked the exact same that he had seen in the other network of tunnels, minus the intense heat. He saw a blue light flashing in the corner of his visor followed by Yuna saying, "That's just me interfacing with your optics. I can't get a visual on your location from the Core room; there are too many systems in lock down for me to get through so I'm using your helmets recorder to establish a visual with you." Eric nodded and said, "Well, it's nothing special, just the same series of tunnels that we already went though, just a hell of a lot hotter." Yuna continued, "Regardless, I want to know your exact locations to make this easier on the both of us."

Eric switched over his COM channels and contacted Devon. He clicked on his radio and said, "Devo come in." A few seconds later he heard Devon's reply. It was flooded with static and sounded warped. "Isolate the signal, Yuna." Yuna interfaced herself to his COM and quickly sorted out the static. Devon sounded like he was out of breath and splashes of water could be heard. He heard Devon continue, "I just escaped from a Theta! You didn't tell me that grenades didn't hurt them you bastard!" Eric shot back, "I specifically remember telling you that grenades only stun them! You need some sort of heavy weapon to hurt them." He heard Devon sigh and say, "Well it doesn't matter now. I just got away from it." "What's your location now?" Eric asked. He heard Devon say as the sounds of splashing water was heard in the background. "I'm in some sort of aqua duct. I have no clue where it's taking me."

"Well when you reach an open area, contact me back and tell me where you ended up because I highly doubt that you're anywhere close to me." "Understood," Devon continued, "oh, and by the way, if you see any loose cables down at your location, don't touch them! They let Theta's loose." "Is that how you let that thing loose down here!?" Eric shot back. Devon paused then said, "More or less." Eric shook his head then said, "Look, would you quit touching shit down here! We have no idea what half of these systems do!" Devon replied, "I didn't touch it…! I broke it." "Oh my god…" Eric mumbled to himself. He continued. "Alright, just try and leave shit alone down here. I have enough problems on my end, I don't feel like encountering a loose Theta right now." "No promises!" Devon said quickly as he cut his COM line.

Eric put the palm of his glove over his visor and shook his head. He thought to himself. "Dokuro better have chewed his ass out for that one."

He began walking deep into the scorching hot tunnel. To Eric, it felt like walking back in the glass fields when he first arrived on Aurora. He would pull up the thermal reading on his HUD every few hundred feet. The temperature gradually rose as he continued further in. Yuna opened her COM to her Spartan and said, "You must be getting close to something because these thermal readings are coming from the direction ahead of you and not just from the geo thermal activity in the mantel." "What is it, a loose rock layer near the planets crust?" He asked. Yuna quickly sifted through all of the available data she had at her disposal that wasn't under a heavy security lockdown. She replied, "All I'm able to tell you is that whatever is ahead of you is housing the terminal to reactivate this facility. I don't know what else might be there." Eric continued on ahead. "Alright, just keep feeding me Intel as we go."

The Theta crashed down onto the metal floor of one of the lower tunnels. It had been charging at full speed to reach (VEIL's) location. A feeling of fear and worry overcame the creature. It knew that failing its only purpose of keeping (VEIL) safe was not an option. The area it came to was very warm and stifling. It ignored the heat. Its armored shell could protect it from the light heat but further in, it would need assistance.

It continued sprinting down the long tunnels with sparks spraying from under its razor sharp talons. Ahead of the Theta was a barrier. The ancient technology knew that one of the guardians was trying to get through. The metal door parted and the Theta quickly went through. The door closed behind it and the Theta was now left in a small room that was barely big enough for it to fit in. A mechanical arm lowered from the roof of the room and attached a small circular object to the Theta's back. The arm retracted and a blue flash surrounded the Theta. It was an energy barrier.

A metal barrier ahead of the Theta parted and a bright orange light shot through. The blue energy barrier surrounding the Theta began to pulse and shimmer as an intense wave of heat poured into the small chamber. The area the Theta was in was a large, city sized, domed cavern. Countless factory like structures filled the area, pumping out molten rock from the planets interior and flowing it into various machines and structures. In the center of it all was a massive tower that was at least eighty stories tall.

The Theta looked around for any signs of hostel's or outsiders. From its perspective, it saw nothing. It wasn't surprised, only the Theta's and their creators could survive down here. It needed to go to the center structure to check on (VEIL's) status. As it readied itself to head deep into the blazing hot facility it froze. Warning lights began flashing through the area and security features began activating. The Theta growled and quickly found a terminal. It was created with a basic knowledge of the facilities security features. It tapped its long talon against a holo panel and a holo screen flashed to life.

It read in Forerunner text, "ALERT! Inner Parameter 0437 has been breached. Activate all security protocols including GUARDIAN's."

The Theta let out an ear deafening shriek and quickly retreated back towards the tunnels. It already knew that at least one outsider was in its domain and for some reason, the security protocol wasn't activated. The action of the facility confused the creature as to why it hadn't already been summoned to stop the early intruders. Still, none of it mattered. A new threat had entered the underground world and was now a threat to (VEIL). The Theta double timed its pace back towards the surface. It was hungry for blood.

The tunnel ahead of him suddenly curved off. The large area made a sharp left and seemed to be squared off around something. He saw a blue marker appear on his HUD followed by Yuna saying, "I found a small passage leading towards a large energy source. From what I've been able to see, the main tunnel that you're in now just goes in one large circle around another area of the facility." Eric turned and saw a smaller hallway leading into the tunnel wall. Taking his A.I.'s advice, he headed into the side passage.

The area inside was lined with holo panels, all of which were flashing with information in foreign text as well as countless gauges and graphs fluctuating with data. "Any idea what these are?" He asked. Yuna quickly analyzed the scrolling text through her SPARTAN's helmet recorder and replied a few seconds later, "Their all thermal readings on a large number of underground factories and machinery. I can't access the area's down there that they're all connected to or what their for exactly." He replied, "Well they got the thermal part right. It's hot as hell down here." "Don't complain, it's probably going to get hotter." Yuna said with sass.

Several red lights began to flash on the holo panels. Eric looked at them and asked, "Uhh… and this is happening…, why?" Yuna quickly tried to find the source of the facilities alarms. She found access to a security camera focused on the location where she and Eric, as well as Devon and Dokuro entered the tunnels. The large barrier that had been keeping the Covenant out had been opened and the Elites were beginning to make their way inside. "Well that's not good." Yuna called out. "What isn't good?" Eric asked. Yuna replied, "We may have a small problem." Eric sighed. "How small?" He heard Yuna pause and then say, "The Elites managed to get through the barrier." Eric rolled his eyes. "Took them long enough. Do you need me to get back up there and get you out of the core?" "No." Yuna said calmly. "I have this room under maximum lockdown. Nothing is getting in here without my permission." Eric nodded. "Alright. Just let me know if you think you need out of there." "Don't worry Soldier Boy," She said reassuringly, "I'll be fine. Just keep moving and get this thing activated so we can get out of here."

As he continued further in, he came to a large metal barrier that was at least 12 feet tall and looked to be made of a thick alloy. On it was a small, flashing, red holo panel with a strange symbol in the middle of it. Without thinking he grabbed a handle on the door and tried to force it open. Instantly the shields around his glove flared and his energy shield meter dropped as his suits alarms began to chime. He quickly backed away and allowed his shields to recharge. Yuna sighed and said, "I swear you were dropped on your head as a kid! Don't you know that flashing red lights usually mean DON'T TOUCH THIS!!" Eric replied, "All the lights down here are flashing red!" He heard his A.I. laugh to herself with frustration, she continued. "Exactly! This area isn't safe! The flashing red lights mean STAY AWAY!" "Then why did you tell me to come down here!?" He shot back. Yuna's voice was filled with frustration, she continued, "Because I need you to activate that terminal. Your suit will protect you from the heat but not from you touching things that are nearing one thousand degrees!"

Eric put his shotgun on the back of his suit and said, "Well, any idea's how I'm supposed to continue on Ice Queen?" He heard Yuna mumble to herself in frustration. She then said, "I have a way to get you through but you CANNOT take to many hits from weapon fire or anything else while you're in there." He heard his armors alarms again chime as his shields were altered. The energy shields surrounding him popped and flared bright red. "Remember his from when we almost got glassed?" Yuna asked him. "The thermal barrier?" He asked her. Yuna continued. "The last time I activated this, it did a number on your shield generator, so that is why I need you to be extra careful in there and not strain your armor's systems to much." "Well that all depends on what decides to get in my way." "Just be careful in there, okay." Yuna said with annoyance.

Eric tapped his finger off of the large barriers handle again. The red energy surrounding his battle suit flared as it contacted the blistering hot metal but his shielding held. He carefully wrapped his glove over the handle and pulled the door open. Instantly, a bright orange glow filled the room as the sight unfolded before him. He saw the large domed cavern with the countless factory like foundries and structures along with the massive tower in the center of it all. He quickly pulled up a thermal reading. The area was blazing at slightly over one thousand degrees. The red energy barrier around his suit flared wildly as the heat bombarded it. "That's it!" Yuna said cheerfully. "That's where the terminal is." Eric nodded and quickly spread the wings on his angel pack and glided off towards the center tower.

He flew over the structures that still looked as if they were functioning. He could see man made rivers of molten rock flowing into the different structures. Through his helmets recorder, Yuna quickly analyzed the area. "It's all a large factory, with that tower in the center controlling it all." "What are they making?" He asked. Yuna continued, "Their using magnetic fields to siphon metals out of the magma; and from the looks of it, using the raw materials to build Sentinels and other parts to keep this facility running." Her Spartan replied, "Those Forerunner's weren't much for safe factory settings, were they?" "Apparently not." Yuna replied

Up ahead the large central tower began to dominate his vision. The structure looked like a massive metal spire with countless black pipe lines and metal girder's dominating its design. A few minutes later, he landed at the towers base. The structure itself was surrounded by a one hundred yard wide mote of glowing orange lava with several large pipe lines running into it. "Well that's welcoming." He mumbled to himself.

On the other side of the mote of fire, he saw what looked like a large entrance. He again spread the wings of his Angel Pack and flew over the river of lava and landed on the other side at the base of the massive black tower. He looked at the door and tried to find some way to open it. "Well go on," Yuna said with sass. "Knock and see if their home." Her Spartan replied, "I'm not sure I want to meet the people who live here."

He saw a leaver on the side of the large black metal doors. He reached out and pulled the leaver down and it latched into place. He heard the doors creak and groan as they began to slide open. He went to reach for his shotgun and Yuna quickly stopped him. "No! Leave it in the thermal barrier. The temperatures in this area are too high for the ammo you're carrying. I don't want to risk them going off and taking your shields down." "And what happens after I meet whatever lives in this hell hole?" He argued. "Relax Soldier Boy," Yuna said calmly, "I did a through scan of the area, I'm not picking up any movement other than some automated machinery and a few Sentinels. Don't worry though, there still not interested in us."

Cautiously, Eric stepped inside the large tower. Inside was dark and only a few holo panels and red emergency lights illuminated the area. Yuna again updated his HUD and another NAV marker flashed into his view. "There is an elevator on the other side of this room. It should take you directly to the top of the tower."

As he walked, he spotted several odd Sentinel like machines. They were smaller then a Sentinel and shaped much like a Covenant Plasma Pistol. The small brushed metal colored machine flew over to the Spartan and stopped. Eric readied himself to grab his Shotgun. Yuna spoke up. "Stop! It won't hurt you. It's just a Constructor. It's basically a smaller version of a Sentinel that repairs systems." The Constructor looked at the Spartan and its small blue eye flashed several times before it flew off again to complete a task. She continued, "You're the jumpiest person ever, I swear." Eric replied with sarcasm, "Oh you know! What with Theta's and the Covenant on the loose, me not being able to use my weapons in this heat and, the hot rivers of molten sadness outside… I tend to get edgy." Yuna sighed, "Look, bitch about it later, just get up there and activate this thing so we can leave." Eric headed towards the elevators location. As he walked he continued, "This is revenge for taking you to all of those places against your will isn't it?" He heard Yuna laugh to herself. "I thought so." He said.

In the center of the room, he saw a large black tube that seemed to stretch out towards the top of the tower. "There's your ride." Yuna told him. The Spartan walked up to the elevator and saw the platform. He stepped inside and instantly it began to ascend towards the top of the tower. The elevator creaked and rattled against the side of the shaft. Even for being a hover platform, it felt horribly wobbly and unmaintained. The shaft was completely dark and the only illumination came from the occasional spray of sparks that popped out from the aging wiring.

As he neared the top of the shaft, the elevator ground to a halt and shuddered. Eric looked around expecting to see a threat. He saw nothing other than the dark shaft. He heard a loud bang followed by the platform below him beginning to plummet into the darkness. He quickly spread the wings of his angel pack and regained his leveling as he watched the elevator platform crash into the darkness below. He caught his breath and allowed his adrenaline to slow down. "I'm so telling the department of workers safety about this death trap." He applied more power to his thrusters and raised himself up to the top of the shaft.

Up ahead, he could see the roof of the shaft. He floated up to the top and landed on a small ledge. He folded his wings back into his Angel Pack and quickly forced the doors open. On the other side was a short hallway and another armor plated door. He walked towards the door and Yuna's hologram appeared. "Hang on." She said, "This door is under a strong lockdown, I'll have to hack it for you." Her hologram approached the door and like before, her hands glowed with blue light as she concentrated on the door. Several seconds later, he heard the thick latch on the door pop and the door slid open.

"This is it." Yuna said as she took in the sight before her. "This is the key to start everything back up down here." Her hologram walked in and Eric followed. This room was different from the rest of the foundry. It was brightly lit with blue lighting and the temperature was surprisingly cool. His thermal reader quickly dropped as he entered the room from well over one thousand degrees to just above seventy.

Holo panels as well as control screens dominated the room. Most looked like they were separate workstations, some even had chairs that looked to be human size. In the center of the room was what he had come for. Dominating the area was an alloy pedestal that was surrounded by an energy barrier that extended from the floor to the ceiling. Yuna's eyes widened as she slowly walked up towards it. "I can't believe it." She said quietly to herself. "You actually found it." Yuna quickly held her hands out and attempted to disable the barrier. Interfacing into a system through long range communication wasn't exactly easy for her; in fact, she struggled to even attempt to begin hacking through the system.

She was constantly running into road blocks as well as countless security barriers that even she wasn't able to get past. She closed her eyes and pumped as much of her processing power as she could. Gradually, she began to slip past the security features and nearly a minute later the energy barrier dissolved. Yuna sighed and went limp in the shoulders. "Are you ok?" Her Spartan asked as he approached her. Yuna took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Yeah…" She uttered. "I'm fine, that was just tough." Eric nodded and said, "Well you did good, you got us in. Just hang back and I'll do the rest."

He walked past his A.I.'s hologram and approached the pedestal. On top was a flashing red symbol that hovered a few inches above the top of the pedestal. "Activate that to open the protective casing." Yuna told him. He held his hand over the symbol and heard a light beeping sound as the protective alloy split at the top and the pedestal slid apart. Inside was a circular red disk that protruded about an inch from its base. "I can't believe it." Eric said with sarcasm, "It actually is a button." Yuna walked up next to him and said, "Of course, it's constructed to keep intruding A.I.'s, much like myself and Dokuro from getting into places that we shouldn't be getting into." Yuna reached her tiny hand out and laid it over the button. Her ghostly hand vanished through the solid object. "You see," Yuna said calmly, "A.I.'s can't activate a system that is meant for human use only." Eric raised an eyebrow under his visor and said, "So you're having me do your dirty work for you then?" Yuna made a sly grin and said, "What can I say, I'm a bad girl." Eric rolled his eyes and held his hand over the button. He slowly pressed it down.

Yuna suddenly felt a shock run through her. Her hologram vanished, and she was instantly ripped from her long range communication form her Spartan. She gasped and felt herself collapsing to her knees.

Meanwhile, Devon was making his way through another series of tunnels when he noticed his battle suit's functions begin to frenzy and his HUD suddenly went to static. He heard Dokuro gasp. He stopped instantly and asked, "What's wrong!?" He heard Dokuro in his mind. She sounded as if she were in a panic. "Dokuro!" Devo called out. "What just happened!?" A few seconds later he felt a jolt go through his mind as Dokuro quickly reset her processes. She said out in an almost panic, "What was that!? It hurt so bad." Devon replied, "I don't know!? I don't even know what just happened to you!" Dokuro quickly calmed herself down and brought all of her functions back to normal. "That was so strange." She said with a twitch of worry in her voice. "What happened?" Devon asked. She quickly scanned the surrounding area and said, "I'm not sure exactly. I felt a sudden spike in energy and now I'm picking up strange power readings." "What kind of power readings?" Her Spartan asked. Dokuro again tried to piece all that just happened together. She replied, "I don't know. But it feels like this whole facility just jumped."

Devon looked around for any possible threats and saw nothing. He didn't know what went on in the mind of an A.I. so he couldn't tell if there were any other threats to worry about other then the Theta's and now the possible threat of the Covenant nearing his location. He quickly opened up his radio. "Eric come in!" He heard a spike of static followed by Eric saying, "I'm a little busy, what do you need!?" Devon replied, "Did Yuna just tweak a second ago? Because Dokuro just freaked out and my armor's systems nearly crashed. It felt like we got hit with an EMP burst." Eric replied back. "Good, then I wasn't the only one that felt that." Devon shot back, "You yelled at me for touching shit down here, so spill it! What did you do!?" Eric replied, "Yuna just had me reactivate the facilities core. Apparently the power burst was too much because my suit did the same thing and now I lost contact with Yuna. I'm heading back up towards the core room now, I need to make sure she's ok and get her out of here. I suggest that you start heading back towards that location so we can head for the surface."

"What about the Covenant?" Devon asked. Eric replied, "Don't worry about them now, this place is a maze and Yuna had the core area under lockdown. There's no way that they're going to get to that location. Not before we do anyway." "Alright." Devon told him. "I'm gonna turn around and head towards you." "Right." Eric said, "Get to the core room as fast as you can because I think Yuna might be in trouble." "On my way!" Devon called back before he cut the COM line.

Eric quickly ran back out towards the elevator shaft. The thermal barrier around his suit was still up and functioning which he was thankful for, considering that he would be dead without it. As he headed for his exit he tried calling his A.I. "Yuna, are you still with me?" He heard no reply. He tried again. "Yuna! Come on! Answer me!" He still heard nothing. "Dammit!" He cursed. As he arrived back at the elevator shaft, he noticed a large panoramic window overlooking the massive cavern. He quickly walked up to it and looked out trying to remember which way he had come in. He saw his HUD flash with a quick fuzz of static. A blue NAV marker appeared pointing to a location on the cavern wall. It was his exit. For a second, he thought Yuna was back with him. He called out. "Yuna! Are you back online?" He heard a wash of static through his helmet's speakers followed by hearing a faint whisper. He manually isolated the signal and tried to make it come in clearer.

He heard Yuna's voice. She sounded warped and distorted and wrapped in static. He barely made out her saying, "…Go…! Follow… NAV marker! …Some…thing is really… wrong up here…!" Eric frowned under his visor. His A.I. was in trouble and he was miles away from her. "I'm coming Yuna! Hang on!" He called out as he flexed his legs and ran towards the large window. He leapt through the heat resistant glass and shattered it as he began to dive. He quickly spread the wings of his Angel Pack and set the thrusters to full burn as he took off for the core room.

Yuna slowly opened her eyes. She was disoriented and she couldn't think properly. She felt unusually weak and lacking in power. Her bright neon blue eyes slowly looked down. Yuna looked at herself. She was lying on her side and every now and then her hologram would flicker and distort. She slowly sat up and struggled to stand. Her legs wobbled as she stood making it hard for her to keep balanced. As she got back on her feet she looked around. The cyber world was now black and countless lines of scrolling text and code flew past her. It was odd. In her vision, everything seemed blurred and fuzzed with static. She let out a light whimper as she put her delicate hand to her forehead as she desperately tried to restore all of her systems.

Something was wrong. As she tried to regain her total power, she had the constant feeling of someone or something scanning her. She couldn't see the source but she knew that someone was analyzing her. Fear began to fill her as she again let out another small whimper as she tried to run. The cyber world was so much different now. She couldn't get a grasp on her exact location or even what system she was in. She frantically called out for her Spartan in hopes that she could end back up in his armor. It would be no good, especially since her data chip was still in the systems core.

She suddenly froze. She heard what sounded like a faint whisper. She couldn't make out what it was saying, only that she knew that she wasn't alone. "Show yourself!" Yuna called out. She quickly drew her own energy weapon. It was her own personal defense. The orbs of light that surrounded her dainty figure rapidly flew in front of her and joined together forming an energy weapon in the form of a Whip Sword. Yuna held her weapon in front of her and again called out. "Stop hiding! If you think you're going to stop me then just try it!"

Again she saw no one else, only the strong presence of someone watching her as well as the faint whispers that flew past her. She then remembered back to immediately after she was put into the core and the strange presence that she felt as soon as she entered. She had managed to keep a close eye on it from the start but as soon as Eric reactivated the core's systems she suddenly lost all control of everything around her. She began to wonder if that small presence was the cause of all of this and just how out of control the situation was for her. With fear filling her, she held tight onto her energy weapon and quietly called out with a shaky voice. "Soldier Boy, get me out of here."


	31. CYBER PUNK

Sorry for the delay, my hard drive crashed on me and I'm just now getting everything back in order on my computer.

(CHAPTER 31) CYBER PUNK

It was all so strange. Yuna struggled to regain any of the control that she possessed over the underground's systems. It wasn't working. Everywhere that she attempted to regain control over was either blocked by security protocols or other systems that even she didn't know how to hack through. With all of the disarray, even doing a complete system withdraw and pulling herself back into her chip wasn't an option. She was still unable to contact her Spartan so until he managed to get back to her location to rescue her, she would be on her own.

She looked around. She was surrounded by scrolling code and numeric figures. The area itself was dark and only illuminated by the scrolling information itself. To her, it appeared that she was in a long corridor that seemed to extend into infinity. She had no choice but to walk forward in hopes that she could get a grasp on her surroundings and attempt to regain even the smallest amount of control.

She walked past several information panels that displayed visual information on the underground world. She was able to look at security cameras and the status of the tunnels themselves. She held her hand up and attempted to access the information in hopes that she could find Eric's current location. Her hand began to glow and the scrolling text changed and images began to change rapidly on the screen. She sifted through all of the available security cameras and tried to find Eric. She eventually came to cameras located in the deeper areas of the facility where Eric had gone to reactivate the facility. She quickly surveyed the area. The dark tower that housed the reactivation point was now glowing with energy. It looked almost as if someone had lined the tower with fiber optic cable and illuminated the entire structure.

She couldn't find her Spartan in the area and assumed that he had already returned back into the tunnels. Before she could again start sifting through the security cameras, the image darkened. Yuna gasped and took a step back. She quickly regained her composure and held out her hand and attempted to reactivate the panel. A red symbol appeared on the screen. In the Forerunner text it read, "DENIED"

Deep in her mind, she knew that someone was pulling the strings in this facility. Something was constantly monitoring her and keeping a close watch on her every movement. The shimmering orbs of light that surrounded her body now hovered around her delicate hand. It was easy access for her if she needed to draw her weapon. She tried to stay calm and kept moving.

Further on into the cyber world, she had the feeling of being followed. This was different then her worries of someone watching her. Now she had the feeling of someone else in her near location. The orbs of light surrounding her body quickly bound together and formed into her energy weapon. Yuna grabbed the hilt of her whip sword and quickly spun on her heel.

A few meters behind her she saw a shimmering orb of white light. It jumped when she faced it and instantly hid itself behind a corner, almost as if it had been startled. Yuna slowly lowered her weapon and cautiously walked towards the orb. The orb attempted to hide itself in the corner of a wall that scrolled with text. Yuna approached it and the orb fell to the floor and backed itself into the corner. Yuna looked at her whip sword and thought that it might be the cause of this small systems worry. She opened the palm of her hand and the weapon dispersed back into the shimmering orbs of light.

She slowly approached the small orb and knelt down in front of it. She slowly held her hand out and analyzed it. The orb of light was a piece of information that she had only heard about through Dr. Halsey's study of other Forerunner systems. They were called Detectors, and their main purpose was only to scan the Forerunner systems or faults and anomalies and correct them where needed. They were also known for being a skittish type of program that to an A.I. in the cyber world, would be appear to have the personality of a frightened child when they were confronted with a foreign type of programming.

It was something that only an A.I. could comprehend. To a human, small programs like this would never be deemed to have personality; they would only appear as small blips of information that did a good job of evading human attempts to study them. Yuna had never even seen one in her short life until now. She knew almost nothing about them but also knew that this little orb most likely had a good knowledge of the cyber world, and right now, this orb was her only hope of navigating around the maze of information.

The thrusters of his Angel Pack echoed loudly off of the tunnel walls. Eric held the thrusters at full burn as he tried to make his way back to the core room. He was back in the tunnels near the elevator that lead him down deeper into this burning hot hell. Up ahead, he could see the door leading to the elevator shaft that brought him down here. As he neared his destination he saw a red alert flash on his HUD. It read, "Pack Temp: CRITICAL! Initiating Cool Down." He felt his pack suddenly die and then immediately he fell to the floor of the tunnel and slid along its hot surface. Sparks sprayed out from under his suit as he slid to a stop.

The sudden impact left him dazed. He pulled himself off of the floor and shook his head to refocus his vision. He then stood up and sighed. He should have known better than having his Angel Pack in full burn in these kinds of temperatures. The thrusters would need at least 15 minutes to cool down before he could use it again. "Dammit!" He cursed. He didn't have time for this. He quickly ran the rest of the way to the elevator and then slammed his fist down onto the holo panel that activated the lift. He felt the elevator shutter and then slowly begin to rise.

He remembered this ride taking 15 minutes to get down so he most likely had the same amount of time until it reached the top of the shaft. He looked at his Angel Pack's status. Its temperatures were still dangerously high. He hoped that the cooler temperatures of the tunnels would aid in bringing them back down so he could fly the rest of the way up. But until then he could only wait. He uttered out to himself. "Hang on, Yuna."

The Detector attempted to back itself more into the corner it was already in. Naturally, it was afraid of new technology, especially one that posed as a threat to it. Yuna calmly said, "It's ok, I won't hurt you." Yuna tried to match her processes the best that she could to the Detectors in order to make herself less threatening to it. The Detector didn't attempt to flee but it did appear to be trembling. Yuna slowly extended her hand out and attempted to touch the Detector. Her hand was within reach when the small orb suddenly jumped and flew off into the air and out of sight. "Wait!" Yuna called out. "Come back!" It was no good. The Detector had fled and now she was left without her only hope of attempting to navigate her way around this world.

She stood back up and sighed. She could feel herself getting flustered and she wanted to scream, but she stopped herself. She needed to stay calm and find a way out. She looked down the long hall ahead of her and continued walking. As of right now, this was her only way to go.

Devon was now back tracking his steps and attempting to find his way to the Core Room. He had been following alternate routes and paths that Dokuro deemed to be faster than his original route. "I want you to be on your guard now, okay?" Dokuro said to her Spartan. She had a twitch of worry in her voice. Devon quickly poked his head around one of the corners in the tunnel to check to make sure his path was clear. He saw no sign of threats. "What's got you so worried?" He asked. Dokuro replied, "I don't know. Ever since Eric reactivated this facility I keep picking up strange readings everywhere we go." "What kind of readings?" He asked. Dokuro did another scan of the area and said, "I'm not quite sure, but it feels like I'm being watched; and if that's the case, then so are you."

"What could be watching us down here?" He asked. Dokuro quickly did another visual on her location and said, "I don't know, and that's what's scaring me." Devon looked around and saw nothing; only the long tunnels and the occasional holo panel that was glowing off of the walls. He made a reassuring smile under his visor and said, "Hey, don't worry; as long as you're with me you're safe." He heard Dokuro sigh. "I know, but still, I don't like it when I can't figure out what's going on." Devon tightened his grip on his Sniper Rifle and said, "And that's why you leave all of the problems to me."

Yuna had been exploring the now activated cyber world that in the human eye would only be a few minutes, but to her it felt like hours. There was so much information and different path ways for her to take that she didn't even know where to begin; now she even doubted that she could find her way back to the core room.

Up ahead she saw a large door. This one was different from the other pathways that she had encountered. This one seemed to recognize her own technology and could maybe give her a way out. She held her hand up to the door and began to unlock it. She was relieved; she recognized this type of circuitry and found it easy to hack through. The door unsealed itself and opened revealing a new area. Yuna stepped through and found herself in a new location. She was now in what looked like a city made of circuitry.

She appeared to be standing in the middle of a street. She looked around and saw what looked like people walking on the sidewalks as well as vehicles driving down the streets. This however was much different. The vehicles and people were all in the form of shaped text and numeric code. Yuna quickly spun on her heel and saw the door she had just come through vanish. She looked around and noticed that no one seemed to notice of care that she was there.

She ran to one of the sidewalks and tried to grasp where she was. She quickly tried to scan but could come up with no results. She noticed one of the civilians of this cyber city in the form of code walking at her. She quickly held up her hand and attempted to communicate. She sent out a message requesting for help. The beings either didn't care or just simply didn't realize that she was there. Yuna sighed in frustration and felt fear beginning to flow through her. This was the first time that she had ever been lost in a cyber world.

She yelled out in frustration and threw her head back up towards the sky. She screamed and didn't care if these beings heard. She wanted out. She was a star ships A.I., getting trapped in the cyber world should never happen to her. Yuna took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. She noticed something. Over the tops of the buildings that surrounded her, she saw what looked like a large tower. Her guess was that it was the central hub of this part of the underground system.

She quickly estimated its location and began running towards it. This whole ordeal had left her flustered and she wanted out, and her best bet would be to find a central hub of data, and she kept every hope within her that she was heading towards one.

Eric had been on the elevator for ten minutes when he noticed that his Angel Pack had recharged and cooled enough for him to fly again. He quickly spread the wings of his pack and leapt into the air with lighting quick speed. His area readings were showing that he was still nine miles from reaching the top of the shaft. To him it felt like nine hundred. He wanted nothing more than to get his A.I. back into the safety of his armor.

After several minutes of his pack and nearly full burn, he could see the top of the shaft. He narrowed his eyes and sped forward. As he neared the top of the shaft he decelerated and readied to land. Fifty feet from his goal, more warning lights flashed across his HUD as his pack again lost power from over usage and not enough time for a recharge. His forward momentum was enough for him to reach the floor of the top of the shaft. He quickly reached his arms out and grabbed a hold of the edge of the opening leading back out into the tunnels. Without thinking twice he pulled himself up and again continued running for the Core Room.

Yuna paused, she had been running as fast as she could through the cyber world but she needed to stop to find her location. Even for being as advanced as she was, navigating around this world was tough even for her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a white light that frantically weaved its way through the crowds of cyber beings that walked the streets of this area. It was the Detector that she had encountered earlier. It almost looked to be in a panic. She looked on and noticed as the orb seemed to focus on her and then fly towards her. The orb flew right to her and seemed to be trying to use her as some sort of protection. Yuna held her hands out and grasped the Detector. "What's wrong little guy?" She asked with concern. The Detector seemed to press itself closer to her body for comfort and then suddenly began pulsing red. Yuna didn't know what to make of it; however, anything flashing red was usually a sign of danger. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" She calmly asked, not wanting to frighten the Detector away. In the sky above, Yuna could see what the problem was. Two black figures that almost looked like a cyber versions of a Sentinel's were closing in on her location. They focused on Yuna and immediately began to pulse with red energy.

Yuna narrowed her eyes and carefully put the Detector behind her. She calmly said, "I see, their after you." The orbs of light around Yuna's body collected around her hand and she drew her energy weapon. Her jagged whip sword formed into shape and she said, "So, your world has conflict as well." The dark sentinel like objects flew at her and charged their beams of energy. Their weapons pulsed red and fired at Yuna. She quickly grabbed onto the Detector and back flipped out of the way of the attack. Her impressive jump landed her on top of a street light and she quickly sighted on her targets. Her guess was that they were some sort of security protocol enforcers that took care of system interferences. Unfortunately, she was the interference in this system.

They again readied another attack and their weapons began to glow red. Yuna quickly pulled back her whip sword and delivered a harsh slash across the two opponents. Her blade made a loud snap much like a whip and easily tore through the two and destroyed them. Their remains crashed to the sidewalk below and vanished. Yuna again stored her blade and leapt down from the street light. She looked at the Detector and said, "They were after you, why?" The Detector slowly floated down to her eye level. It began to chatter out code which Yuna picked up and translated. The code seemed to be Forerunner but she was still able to translate what it was attempting to tell her.

It said, "You are not like us, you are different, but yet the one who brought you is the same as they were." Yuna cocked her head. "What do you mean? Are you talking about my carrier?" The Detector continued, "He is like they were, and VEIL also knows this. VEIL can help, but the Protectors do not want you near VEIL. They came after me because I tried to inform you." Yuna was confused. She remembered all of the information about VEIL that was kept securely locked down from her early explorations but she still knew little about whatever VEIL was. "You ran from me earlier, why are you telling me this now?" She asked calmly. The Detector bobbed up and down and replied, "You are foreign and not like us. Detectors are weak and you are strong, we exist because we avoid conflict and do as we are told, we avoid the new and foreign. However, you do not appear to show signs of harm towards us, and you are with the one who is like they were. We only serve our creators, and he is like they were." Yuna gave the Detector a small smile and replied, "You don't have to worry, I won't hurt you." The Detector seemed to turn and face in the direction of the tower in the center of this city. It said, "I must take you to VEIL. VEIL will understand, and can help you. The Protectors will not want you to see VEIL. They will want me eliminated for taking you. However, I must take you."

Yuna held her hand out and lightly placed it on the Detector. "Why are you helping me if it means putting you at risk?" The Detector paused and then said, "Because, the one who protects you is an ancestor." "An ancestor?" Yuna asked. "An ancestor of the Forerunners?" The Detector didn't respond. It floated free from her grasp and pulsed with a blue light. In front of it, a door appeared. The Detector said, "Go, inside will lead you to your destination." Yuna looked at the Detector and replied, "You're coming with me." The Detector bobbed several times in the air and then said, "I am a risk to you. The Protector's are hunting me and they will hunt you if they find you."

Yuna reached her hand out at the Detector. She calmly said, "Their after me anyway because I pose a threat to VEIL. However, they don't scare me. Stay with me and I can keep you safe." The Detector sat quiet then after a few moments floated into her hands. Yuna smiled and replied, "Don't worry; I'll make sure everything will be alright for the both of us." She turned to face the door that the Detector had spawned and she opened it and headed through the threshold.

On the other side she found herself in a round blue room that almost seemed like it was up in the sky. "Where are we?" She asked as she looked around. The Detector told her, "You are in the center of this city. We are on the top of the tower that you were trying to reach. I helped you reach your destination faster." Yuna looked around. The room seemed bare. The only object in the room was a globe of color changing light. "That will allow you to reach VEIL." The Detector said. Yuna cradled the Detector in her arms and slowly approached the globe.

Slowly she let the Detector float free and then reached out her hands to interface herself with the globe. She was within inches of touching it when she heard a loud pulse of energy. She jumped and saw a red beam of light pierce through the Detector. Yuna's eyes widened in shock. A large group of Protectors had appeared in the room and one had just attacked the Detector that was helping her.

The Detector let out a high pitched tone as the beam of energy destroyed it. The tiny orb vanished and a small metal sphere fell to the floor with a hole punched through it. Yuna stood in shock as she looked at the shell that housed the Detectors circuitry. It had been eliminated by these Protectors. She felt sorrow and frustration spike through her. She had failed to keep her only asset at escape safe.

She slowly lowered her head and frowned as the orbs of shimmering light around her formed into her whip sword. She uttered out, "You killed him. You killed a defenseless Detector that did nothing wrong." She felt anger spike through her. The security systems in this world were as savage as the Covenant battle net. Yuna never liked to see something that was defenseless suffer. She took in a sharp breath and let out a yell as she quickly snapped her whip sword into a line of Protectors. Her blade sailed straight through them with a harsh snap. She quickly spun on her heel and again slashed at another line that were readying to attack her. Like the previous line, they too were destroyed.

Much to Yuna's shock, with each Protector that was destroyed, more appeared to replace it. She didn't care, this world had finally gotten to her and she had allowed herself to lose all control. She was soon overwhelmed by Protectors and saw now possible escape. A large number of the Protectors began to charge their weapons.

Mid swing of her blade, she felt a hard slam on her tiny body followed by the feeling of her Nano Crystalline Fluid seeping down her abdomen and legs. Yuna gasped in shock then immediately loosened her grip on her whip sword. Her blade vanished back in to the shimmering orbs of light that surrounded her body. She quietly whimpered to herself as her processes began to register as pain. A large number of Protectors had managed to score direct hits on her. She had failed and now because of it, she was dieing. Her vision faded to white and she saw a visual memory of her Spartan. He was standing in his dress uniform and he was smiling at her. She always loved seeing him in his dress uniform. She thought it made him look handsome. She felt herself reaching out for him and she quietly uttered through her small whimpers, "Eric, I'm so sorry. I… I failed you."

Yuna's tiny, battered body stumbled as she fought for control. She felt herself wandering dangerously close to the edge of the tower. She wasn't able to grasp what was happening. Her hologram flickered and distorted as she felt herself dieing. She felt herself stumble and then felt freefall as she fell off of the ledge on the top of the tower. Her tiny, battered body fell towards the surface, as her neon blue eyes began to dull and fade. She slowly closed her eyes and uttered out, "Eric… forgive me." As everything went dark.


	32. THE NEW RECRUIT

Sorry for the delay. Computer problems and college aside, enjoy!

(CHAPTER 32) THE NEW RECRUIT

(LOCATION) – COVENANT HEAVY ASSAULT CARRIER, THE PURIFYING FLAME –

-2 HOURS INTO THE UNDERGROUND ASSAULT –

Kalder sat with his back against the wall of the tram as it sped down the long dark tunnel. His back still stung as the bio-foam began to coat his wound. He quickly popped the bolt on his Battle Rifle then fed in a fresh clip. "Where's this thing taking me, Mitsuki?" He asked as he slid the bolt back into place, sending the first new round into the chamber. Mitsuki replied, "You're going to end up near one of the main cargo loading platforms towards the front of the ship. From there, you'll be a little under a mile from Izumi's location." Kalder looked ahead of him down the tunnel. The long dark tube didn't seem to have an end. He asked, "And how many special friends do I have waiting for me when I get there?" Mitsuki quickly set her visuals to his end location.

Up ahead on the platform she could see several Brutes in full combat armor with Spikers and one with a Mauler. Nothing to heavy but could still do a lot of damage if they all ganged up on him. However, no signs of any other type of Covenant troops were detected. She replied back. "Just your usual group of special friends that wanna put a plasma round through your head." Kalder rolled his eyes. "Yay me…"

The Prophet sat in his throne looking out of the front view port at the ensuing battle surrounding the planet of Aurora. Mixed flashes of orange and plasma blue pin pricked the hard vacuum of space as the opposing ships fought one another. He knew that the Chancellor of this miniscule planet wouldn't lead him to the realm of the god's willingly; it was to be expected, still, he had other ways of convincing her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an icon flashing on one of the small buttons on his hovering throne. Redemption tapped his slender finger on the button and a holo projection of his ship appeared. Text scrolled across the screen indicating that one of the emergency alarms had been triggered near the rear sector of the ship that was currently under a black out. The Prophet hit another small button on his thrones arm rest and several more panels of data appeared. The Prophet read over the information trying to assess the situation.

He attempted to access the sectors security cameras. Due to the lack of power, they were still non active. He had considered contacting one of the Chieftains located in that area of the ship for an assessment when the ships A.I. appeared on a holo panel near the Prophet's throne.

"What is it?" The Prophet said coldly as he moved his throne near the holo panel. The A.I. of the Heavy Assault Carrier was unlike any USNC design as far as an A.I. was concerned. They functioned so much differently than a UNSC A.I. in both processes and ship control. Covenant A.I.'s lacked any form of personality and even having the smallest amount of free will was unheard of. They were strictly designed to do their tasks and nothing else.

Its figure stood motionless. It looked more machine then anything but could almost resemble sort of a mecha design. The A.I. responded to the Prophet in a monotone and almost robotic like voice. "Holy One, several anomalies are occurring throughout the ship." The Prophet harshly replied, "I am more than aware! The reports that you have been sending me are no different than from what you are telling me now." The A.I. replied, "I am also aware; however, these anomalies are different than what we have been experiencing." The Prophet slowly turned his head and looked at the A.I. "Different in what way?" He asked. The A.I. replied, "I have compiled all possible data leading to an explanation for the black out as well as the main drive reactor shutting down. Out of all of my possible outcomes, I have found no logical explanation. I have only been able to detect small pings throughout the ships systems that don't fit into place."

The Prophet narrowed its large eyes and said in a low voice. "What sort of pings?" The A.I. pulled up a list of data and continued. "I detected a spike in energy coming from one of the ships command terminals. Immediately following that spike, the rear sector of the ship experienced the black out. Shortly after, I was able to pick up spikes of energy coming from several locations throughout the ship, especially around the primary detention levels as well as several data hubs. Finally was the over ride of one of the in ship transport systems in which Tram number 3 was stopped in tunnel sector 5 and then reversed direction back to the station platform in which the alarm was triggered. Exactly nine seconds after it arrived it then proceeded back in its intended direction."

The Prophet sat silent then said harshly. "I want you to begin doing a through scan of the entire ship down to the smallest area of circuitry, find whatever it is that is causing this; and finally, bring the source to me." The A.I. balled its fist then made a gesture of honor by putting his arm across its chest before it vanished back into the cyber world.

The Tram sped forward through the dark tunnel. Kalder sat with his back against the vehicles wall with his Battle Rifle at the ready for when he arrived at the station. Mitsuki contacted him. "You're almost at the station. It should only be another thirty seconds until your arrival. When you get there, eliminate the brutes as fast as you can and then I'll…" Mitsuki suddenly paused and then uttered out, "Uh oh." Kalder raised an eyebrow. "Uh oh?" He asked. "Why the uh oh? I don't like it when you uh oh! It usually means a shit storm is headed my way." "Would you shut up a minute!" Mitsuki shot back. "Something's not right in here." Kalder felt himself tense slightly. "What do you mean? Do you need me to get you back in my armor?" Mitsuki quickly scanned the area around her and then replied, "I'm not sure, but I think someone may be onto me." "Who?" Kalder asked. Mitsuki again thoroughly scanned the area around her and then said, "I think this ship has an A.I."

Kalder thought for a minute. Covenant ships were usually controlled by computer predictions, only a handful of their ships were A.I. controlled and so little was known about their artificial intelligences that they were almost deemed myth. "Can you keep yourself hidden until we complete this mission?" He asked sternly. Mitsuki paused and processed his question. A few moments later she replied, "I'm not sure. I should be fine, at least until you make it to Izumi's location and if worse comes to worse than you can just retrieve me on your way out. Kalder didn't like what he was hearing. Mitsuki meant a lot to him and he didn't want her to be at risk. Still, he had a mission to complete and right now, she was his only way of exploring this ship without a high risk of being detected.

He suddenly felt the tram grind to a halt and he was instantly thrown off balance and fell to the floor. He quickly pulled himself up and said, "What just happened?" "Not good!" Mitsuki said in a slight panic. "What's wrong!?" Kalder asked. Mitsuki continued, "Something found out I'm controlling the tram, and they just took back their control." Mitsuki quickly assessed her options and then said, "You're going to have to walk the rest of the way, and I need to run dark for a while until this thing looses interest in me. I've been running under Covenant disguise this whole time so I'm hoping that they pass me off as a glitch." Kalder hopped over the tram wall and onto a maintenance walkway in the tram tunnel. He said back, "Alright, I'll keep pressing forward. You let me know if you need out of there and I'll pull you, but until then, be careful!" She paused for a moment and then said with a bit of worry, "I'll try my best."

Once her Spartan had ended the quick conversation, Mitsuki paused and checked her surroundings. The Covenant cyber world was a unique area made up of sleekly curved, dark purple and blue areas. Unlike the usual text and numeric code that sped through the human cyber world, here the only feature that gave hints of information traveling was the thin lines of neon purple and pink light that would pulse with energy. The area she found herself in right now appeared to be some sort of systems center which housed data concerning all of the ships normal functions including; cargo lists, tram functions, power levels and other small things like the status of the automatic doors, ship hanger energy barriers, and even smaller details such as lights that needed replacing.

This wasn't the area she needed; she needed to be near a control hub so she would have constant access to ship functions should her Spartan need her assistance. Luckily for her, she had learned on previous missions that Kalder had been on, that the Covenant systems were very easy for her to move around in. She slowly closed her eyes and focused on the location of the ship she wanted access too. Almost instantly she reopened her neon green eyes and found herself in a new location. This area appeared to her as a round room with a pulsing orb of neon pink light in the middle of it. She smiled pleasingly to herself, having easily hacked her way into one of the ships control areas.

She walked up to the pulsing orb and held her hand out and instantly she had access to another vital area of the ship. Again, she closed her eyes and focused on her task. In her mind she could see vision speeding through all areas of the ship at light speed. She focused on Kalder's location and found herself viewing him from the ship's security cameras. She opened up her secure COM channel to him and said in a sly voice, "I'm watching you, Kalder."

"God you creep me out sometimes." He told her as he kept walking. He heard her giggle to herself and then she continued, "I have you on the security cameras now instead of tracking you through the ships motion detectors. This will make it a lot easier for me to have a constant visual on your locations as you go." Kalder quickly replied, "Can you get a visual on Izumi?" Mitsuki focused her thoughts and instantly connected herself with the Detention Levels. She did a quick search and found the cell that she was being kept in. She could see a higher ranked Chieftain guarding her and, Izumi sitting on a metal bench, trying to get some rest. She debated on letting Izumi know that Kalder was on his way to get her but then immediately stopped herself. In order for her to do that, she would have to make her hologram appear. The Detention Levels had no other types of communication systems in the cells and her only vantage point of relaying a message would be outside her cell near the Chieftain. For now she had to make due with a visual scan and the fact of knowing that for the most part, she was being left alone.

She replied back to Kalder. "She seems to be okay for the most part; other then the fact that she's being imprisoned of course." Kalder frowned. "She has nothing to worry about now. Just make sure that they leave her alone."

He could see an illuminated section of the tunnel about a quarter mile ahead of him. He assumed he was near the station that Mitsuki was talking about. He tightened his grip on his Battle Rifle and said, "Do me a favor." "What kind of favor?" she asked. Kalder continued "Try and cause a distraction for me when I hit that station." Mitsuki grinned. "Oh don't worry. I already have something planned." Kalder headed towards the opening in the tunnel. He said, "I hope so, I don't feel like having an entire ship worth of Covenant on my ass."

(UNSC OUTPOST BRAVO) -2 HOURS INTO THE UNDERGROUND ASSAULT-

Anna had been sitting quietly in Dr. Halsey's office surrounded by the many monitors, holo screens and wired electronic panels that covered every square inch of the room. She had overheard the chatter on the bases announcement system regarding the Underground Assault. She heard several transmitions about Pelican pilots reporting that the Spartan's were making everything easy for them with their sniping skills. That gave her some comfort in knowing that Devon was okay but eventually her comfort wore off when she heard that they had lost contact with all of the ground troops in the pit from being too deep underground.

She couldn't help but worry. Devon and the others were out of contact and she didn't know if he was still okay. She sighed and clutched her knees to her chest. Dr. Halsey stopped typing at her computer when she heard Anna sigh. She turned and saw the young Palace Maid going crazy with worry. Dr. Halsey stood up and walked over to Anna. She heard her coming and she looked up. "Are you okay, Dear?" Dr. Halsey asked. Anna sighed and quietly uttered out. "I'm scared for him." Dr. Halsey sighed and pulled her chair over next to Anna.

She sat down next to her and said, "I know you're worried and personally I can't blame you right now; but you need to remember that even though Devon is reckless, he knows what he's doing out there. I'm sure that he's going to be fine and that he and the others will come back soon." Anna sighed, "I know, I'm just not used to all of this I suppose." Dr. Halsey gave Anna a reassuring pat on her shoulder and said, "It's alright dear, you'll get used to it."

A blue light began to flash on one of the many computer terminals in her lab. Dr. Halsey stood up and said, "Excuse me a minute." As she headed over to one of her monitors. She tapped her finger on a small button near a large monitor and an image of the UNSC emblem flashed onto the display followed by the face of Supreme Commander Edwin Drake. She immediately straightened her composure and said, "Supreme Commander."

Drake, knowing that Halsey wasn't military, merely smiled and replied, "Ma'am, I was hoping to get a minute of your time. I know that you're usually busy and I don't want to keep you from your work." Halsey replied, "It's no trouble, how can I help you?" Drake replied back, "I was hoping that we could discuss how your Spartan's are doing. I know what they have been up against these past few days and I just wanted to make sure that they were still able to do their jobs." Halsey smiled and said, "Well currently Eric and Devon are carrying out your orders to pursue the Covenant underground. We lost contact with them once they got too far in and we haven't heard from them since so as for those two, their mission status is up in the air. As for Kalder, he's on his own mission to rescue the Chancellor, but you are already aware of that."

"Have you heard from number 73 at all since he left?" Drake asked. Halsey continued looking over several pages of her own notes that she had on a clip board and replied, "No, he told us that he would be running dark once he arrived aboard the Prophet's ship so that he would have less risk of being spotted. However, I am able to receive occasional feedback from Mitsuki on his status, and as of right now he seems to be fairing well." Drake nodded. "I see. Well that's good to hear. It will be even better when he brings the Chancellor back in one piece and we can get the Senators off our backs."

Drake paused a moment and took notice of the young Palace Maid, sitting with her knees clutched to her chest in the back of Halsey's office. "And who is this?" He asked to Halsey. She replied, "She's the Chancellor's Head Maid as well as her personal friend, she was rescued by Devon and the other's after the Palace was attacked." "Why is she down here?" He asked. Halsey took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses on her lab coat. She replied, "She and Devon have apparently developed sort of a bond, I guess you could call it. She's been with him since he first arrived at the Palace and up until the point when the underground assault started. Ever since he left, she has been going mad with worry."

"I see." Drake said. "Haven't you tried helping her take her mind off of things?" Halsey sighed and said, "Yes but there isn't much to offer her here in my lab, and she doesn't have her own personal access to other areas of the base so her activities here are limited." Drake thought a moment and then replied, "Then let her do her job." "What do you mean?" She asked. Drake continued, "She's a Palace Maid, that's what she's used too. Let her go around the base and check on the other officers and personnel and see if they need anything. It's what she can do best at as far as helping us and it would most likely help to take her mind off of things for a while. Take her down to Section 4 and get her fitted into a uniform. I'll contact them myself and tell them to give her the Base Intelligence tag so she will be able to access areas without question. I'm guessing that being with the Spartan's that she already is more than aware what is going on in this base, and I'm sure she knows things about this planets government then a normal civilian would so there is no reason to hide anything from her." Halsey thought a moment and then replied, "Are you sure it's a good idea for her to be wandering around when you and I both know that she could see top secret information?" Drake crossed his arms and replied, "She's sitting in your office, I doubt that it can get anymore top secret then that." Halsey rolled her eyes and said, "If you think that's what we should have her do, then fine."

Drake looked over at Anna through the image he was receiving on his end. He said, "Yung lady." Anna slowly looked up and saw that she was being addressed by someone in a very decorated uniform. She knew little about the ranks in the UNSC but could guess that he was high in rank. She slowly stood and quietly replied, "Yes?" Drake held up his hand and motioned her over. "Could you come here a moment please?" "Of course." She said calmly as she headed towards Dr. Halsey and the monitor that Drake was on.

She approached the large monitor and politely stood and folded her hands in front of her waist. Drake continued, "I'm Supreme Commander Drake. It's very nice to meet you Miss." "Thank you." Anna replied as Drake continued, "I heard about the situation that you're in and I want you to know that I understand. Everyone worries about the troops that are deployed into battle; families, friends, spouses. I know that SPARTAN-69 means a lot to you and I want to assure you, from personal experience that he knows what he's doing and that he's going to be fine." Anna sighed and said, "I know, I've heard this from a lot of people here. I just can't help but worry. I have so much on my mind right now. Izumi has been captured, my world is under attack, and Devon is out there fighting in the middle of it."

Drake gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I completely understand; which is why I thought of a way to try and keep you busy and to help take your mind off of things for a while." "What would that be?" Anna asked. Drake replied, "If you would like, you could continue the duties here at Outpost Bravo that you did back at the Palace. You will be granted access to nearly every area of the base and your duties will be simple. All you need to do is check on the other officers and see if they need anything." Anna thought a moment and then said, "So basically you want me to be a Base Maid?" Drake replied, "Basically. And you don't even have to go through boot for this position."

She didn't even think twice. As of right now, she knew that if she didn't get out of this room and do something to occupy her time that she would go crazy. She looked at Drake and replied, "If that's what you would like me to do then I will." Drake smiled at her and told her, "Excellent, Dr. Halsey will take you to Section 4 to be fitted with a uniform and then you can begin your duties here at the base. I will personally have this information passed along to Section 4 before you arrive so there will be no complications for you when you get there. I know this may not seem like a big position to you, but as of right now, any extra help we can get will be appreciated." Anna nodded and said, "I understand, I'll do my best while I'm here." "Good to hear." Drake replied. He gave a salute and then said, "Dismissed."

The large monitor went back to the blue screen with the UNSC emblem flashing on it. Dr. Halsey looked at Anna and said, "Well, I suppose we had better get you into your new uniform then. I'll show you where to go." Anna nodded and then followed Halsey out of her office and out into the halls. She remained quiet for the trip down to Section 4. She still wasn't in the mood for talking. The two boarded an elevator and Dr. Halsey hit a button for one of the sub levels. It was a short ride down. The doors parted revealing a dimly lit hallway that forked off in three directions. Anna was led down the left hallway towards a security door that Dr. Halsey approached and swiped her own personal access card in and the door swung open. Inside was a large warehouse style room, lined with racks of spare armor for Marines and ODST's as well as spare sets of camo fatigues and dress uniforms for officers that were cleanly hung on clothes racks.

Dr. Halsey approached a worker at a counter that was stacked with spare sets of combat armor that looked as if they were ready to be sent out into the field. She politely said, "I trust Supreme Commander Drake contacted you?" The worker behind the counter clearly looked war hardened. Anna looked him over and saw he had several scars on his forehead as well as ones that scratched their way up into his short cropped black hair. She wondered why he was here instead of out in the field fighting alongside other troops. He heard him reply to Dr. Halsey, "Yes Ma'am, about the new Base Intelligence girl. Have her stand in the scanner and well get her fitted." Dr. Halsey nodded and motioned for Anna to join her. She walked over to the counter and the worker looked at her. He took notice of her maid uniform as well as the Palace emblem that was neatly embroidered on her skirt. "Not many troops that I see usually wear what you do, Missy. I usually see the ones that are fresh out of boot with stone cold faces and looks in their eyes that could kill. However, I'm not one to question a Supreme Commander." He motioned Anna to step into a small booth in the corner of the room. He said, "Step inside so we can begin your scans." He motioned Anna over with a prosthetic arm. She now understood why someone who looked as war hardened as him wasn't out fighting.

She looked at the booth that she was instructed to go in and then asked Dr. Halsey, "What does he mean by scans?" Dr. Halsey replied, "It's all standard UNSC enlistment procedure. It's just a way for them to have record of you." "Enlistment!?" Anna argued, "I thought I was just helping out here!" "Calm down," Halsey told her, "You aren't being sent to battle, you haven't even gone through boot, you're just being put in their records is all." Anna calmed herself down as Dr. Halsey led her over to the booth. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, I'm just a little edgy right now." "Don't worry about it now." Halsey told her. "Let's just finish what we need to do here and then we can get you started on your new position. Anna nodded and opened the door for the scanning booth. She stepped inside and closed the door. Inside was completely quiet and only a small LCD screen with the UNSC emblem illuminated the booths interior.

She turned and faced the screen and several seconds later the voice of an A.I. said, "Please state your name, age, date of birth, and home world." She looked at the screen and said, "Anna Kurauchi, 18 years old, born July 17th 2534, home world, Aurora." The A.I. replied, "Beginning scan. Please remain still." A metal rod that ran the height of the booth began to rotate around Anna's body as a white light scanned her features. It scanned her body twice followed by the A.I. saying, "Scan complete. Please exit the booth."

She tapped her finger on the release button and the door slid open. Once outside, Dr. Halsey was nowhere to be found. She looked around and couldn't find any sign of her. She heard the worker from behind the counter call her. "Kurauchi!" Anna jumped slightly and immediately turned. "Yes?" She replied. He motioned her over. Anna approached the counter he and slid her a black hard shelled case with a UNSC emblem stenciled on it. He said, "Your uniform. The changing booths are through that door. Come see me when you're finished." Anna nodded and headed through the door. Inside was a line of doors that all led to separate changing booths. A few had red lights above the doors indicating that they were in use. She found an empty booth near the center of the hallway. She went inside and set the case on the bench that was set up and unlocked the two latches holding the case shut.

Inside she found a white officers uniform as well as a pair of white thigh high stockings with a black stripe running down the side of each, as well as a new pair of shined black shoes. She pulled out her uniform and laid it out neatly on the bench. In her opinion, she liked the look of it. It was a long sleeved white semi form fitting uniform with black trim running along the sleeves, waist, and collar. She also found a white mini skirt that went with her uniforms top that also had a black stripe running along its base as well as the UNSC emblem on the front of it.

She stripped from her maid uniform and folded it neatly and set it aside on the bench. She then slid into her uniforms skirt and then buttoned on her top around her well formed body. She sat down on the bench and then slid on her thigh high stockings and then put on her uniform shoes. Once she was fully dressed she carefully put her maid uniform into the case that her new uniform came in. As she set her maid uniform inside, she took notice of another small box that was in the bottom of the case. She took the box out and opened it. Inside she found a rank tag with her name as well as the words Base Intelligence embroidered on it as well as a single officer's medal. It was a deep navy blue with a white stripe running vertically down the center. She carefully pinned the two onto her uniforms top making sure that they were both on straight and in what she hopped were the right locations. She also found one more object inside the box. It was wrapped in a piece of paper that was held on by a rubber band. She pulled the note off and saw that it was wrapped around a PDA.

The note read.

Anna,

I apologize for having to leave so abruptly. Something important came up. But, this should help you with any questions that you may have on your new assignment. It is directly linked to the bases data hub and will provide you with anything that you might want to know about the base as well as give you directions to locations that you may be trying to get to as well as provide entire layout maps.

If you have any trouble, you can also use this to contact the bases A.I., Victoria. She is easy to spot. She looks like a little blonde haired girl in an elegant, red Victorian style dress. Good luck, and try to relax.

Dr. Halsey-

Anna folded the letter up and set it back in the case and then latched it closed. She then took her PDA and clipped it onto the side of her uniform. Before she left she did a quick once over on herself in front of the mirror in the changing room. She then unlocked the door and headed back out into Section 4's main room. She walked up to the main counter and set the case on it. She looked at the soldier behind the counter that had given her the case and said, "My palace uniform is still in there, would it be okay if I took it along with the case to the room I was staying in here with SPARTAN-69?" He raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't see the harm in it, and you won't have to worry about getting harassed by higher up's here. Just tell them that you're here on account of a SPARTAN and you're guaranteed to be left alone." Anna replied, "I'm not looking to cause trouble here. I just want to do my job." He cracked a smile and said, "That's a good attitude to have Little Lady. A lot of the troops here today are only in it for the glory and to pick up girls in bars. Things were much different when I was still out there fighting." He looked at his prosthetic arm and continued, "Then I lost my arm from a Brute Shot bayonet." He shook his head and said, "Oh well. What's done is done and I'm holding you up with my rants." He reached under the counter and pulled out a polished black uniform belt that had two long rectangle shaped pockets as well as a holster and then he set an unloaded M6 pistol on the countertop.

"And here's your firearm and your three clips. Keep one clip loaded at all times and always have the other two on your belt." Anna's eyes widened. "Why do I need a gun? I'm not a soldier!" "Relax Missy," He told her with a tinge of annoyance. "It's just for safety should the base come under attack; and what with the way this war is going, you just might need it." She argued back, "I don't even know how to fire a gun." He rolled his eyes and said, "You're lucky you never went to boot or they would have chewed your ass out for that." He held up the M6 and said, "Look, it's simple. You take a clip and slide it into the opening in the handle, pull back the slide, and you have a loaded gun." He turned the weapon over so she could see the left side of it. "This is your most important part of your pistol, the safety. Always! Always make sure that your safety is on when you aren't using it. When you're ready to kill something, then you take it off." He handed the pistol to Anna. "Now let's see you load it."

Anna carefully took the weapon and studied it for a second. She made sure to flip the safety on and then picked up one of the twelve round clips and carefully slid it into the handle of the gun. Making sure her finger was off of the trigger and that the safety was still on, she pulled the slide back and fed in a fresh round into the chamber. The weapon made a harsh metallic click and she looked back up at the worker. He grinned and said, "Nice work, Little Lady." He said as he handed her the belt holster and extra clips. She quickly fastened it to her uniform and then stored her pistol in its holster and extra magazines in their slots. The worker looked at her and said, "Didn't even go through boot and you already look like a UNSC soldier. Do us proud out there kid!" He said. Anna replied, "I'm only Base Intelligence, I won't be seeing any action." He replied, "Never think that just because you're in a UNSC controlled base that you're one hundred percent safe." Anna nodded. She remembered from a few days ago thinking that Izumi's palace was one hundred percent safe as well, only to find out that she was horribly wrong.

Before she left, the worker behind the large counter told her, "You know, if you ever feel like practicing with that gun, you can always stop by the firing range. Ask for Gunny, he'll be able to help you out." Anna nodded and said, "Thank you, I might do that." "It couldn't hurt." He told her. She looked down at her holstered M6 and then headed for the door. She gave a small wave to the worker and was immediately stopped. He said, "You may want to greet people this way around here." He said as he gave her a salute. "Salute the higher ranked officers unless you want them to scream at you." Anna stopped herself and then did the traditional military gesture. She saluted and he returned it. "That's more like it!" He told her. "Thanks for the tip." She said. "No problem Little Lady."

Anna turned and headed out the door and then pulled out her PDA. She pulled up the base map and located one of the command levels. She figured that if she was to look after the officers that command would be her best bet to start. She clipped her PDA to her belt and headed to the elevator thinking to herself, "I never would have guessed I'd be a military girl."

* * *

Kalder kept himself fully crouched as he neared the station platform. He pulled his Sniper Rifle to his chest at SWAT position and looked around the corner. He could see five Brutes standing around a supply crate. They looked like they were resting. He opened up his personal COM to Mitsuki and said, "Alright, I got a four round clip and five Brutes. Think I can score a double with one round and head shot the rest?" Mitsuki replied, "Knowing you, you'll probably pull it off. But how about we make it interesting?" Kalder narrowed his eyes. "Interesting how?" He heard Mitsuki giggle and say, "You said that you wanted me to cause a distraction right? Well here it is."

Kalder carefully looked around the corner and saw one of the doors leading into the station open. On the other side of the door was Mitsuki's hologram standing at normal human height. She called out. "Hey! I think I'm on the wrong ship, can any of you big dumb apes give me directions?" The Brutes immediately stood and raised their weapons. All of them unloaded both Spikers and Maulers towards Mitsuki's hologram. She didn't even flinch. She simply stood and laughed as the rounds passed straight through her. Kalder didn't know whether to just laugh at what his A.I. had just done or praise her for it. He quickly took aim and began picking off the Brutes while their backs were turned. He leapt up onto the platform and finished off his clip, killing four of the Brutes then quickly meleeing the final one in the back of the head with the butt of his Sniper Rifle.

As the last Brute fell dead to the floor, he looked at Mitsuki and said, "You'll never cease to amaze me, you know that?" She put her hands on her hips and said, "It's what I do best." Her hologram vanished and then she contacted him from back in the control hub. "There's an elevator down the next hall that will take you near the detention levels. You still have a lot more ship to go through though." He fed a fresh clip into his Sniper Rifle and began running towards the elevator. "It doesn't matter." He told her. "I've gotten this far and faired pretty well. I don't care what else I have to go through. I'm going to get Izumi out of here or die trying." Mitsuki replied cheerfully, "Well good! Because at that top of that shaft is a fairly large number of Covenant troops patrolling the area." He frowned and hit the holo panel on the elevator. It quickly ascended up the shaft and he continued, "It doesn't matter, I'll still kill them all."

The elevator came to a halt at the top of the shaft and the large purple doors parted. On the other side was a long, large hallway that looked large enough for wraith tanks to fit through. The hall was also crowded with a large number of Brutes and Grunts. One of the Grunt's saw him standing in the door of the elevator and yelped in fear. The Brutes immediately turned and saw the SPARTAN standing in front of them. "Still feeling all of that confidence that you were talking about a second ago?" Mitsuki asked calmly. Kalder pulled out his Battle Rifle and said, "Oh I hope so!" as he sprinted himself forward into battle.


	33. THE ONE THING PART 1

And now things start to get interesting… Again, sorry for the lull in chapters. I've been trying to stick to my weekly updates but college keeps my slammed with work. Actually, I should REALLY be doing my homework right now but I'm not because I wanted to get this first part done.

(CHAPTER 33) THE ONE THING -PART 1-

He had never run this fast before in his life. Eric could feel his adrenaline pound through his body as he made his way back to the Core Room. The greatest asset to his mission was in danger and he didn't know what was harming her. For all he knew, the Covenant could have made it through and found the Core and Yuna. He knew that the capture of a UNSC A.I. was unacceptable by any circumstances and he would have to face the most extreme consequences if that was the case. He could care less what the UNSC would do to him right now. To him, his rank and military record meant nothing at the moment; all he cared about was the safety of his A.I.

He had made it back to the cross in the paths and slammed himself to a stop when a red warning flashed across his HUD.

UNSC A.I. CEREAL NUMBER, YND 4521-7 -TERMINATED-

-CRITICAL FAILURE IN SYSTEM MATRIX DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM FOREIGN SYSTEMS-

-ALL CONTACT HAS BEEN LOST-

-POSSIBLE CORRUPTION FROM ENEMY SYSTEMS…-

-HIGH!-

"No!" Eric shouted. He instantly pulled his Shotgun off of the back of his battle suit and flipped off the safety as he began sprinting for the Core Room. "Devo!" He called out over his COM. "Double time it; Yuna just flat lined!" "What do you mean she flat lined!?" He called back. "Her status is reading as terminated so either the Covenant found her or worse." Devon paused for a second and then replied, "I'm moving as fast as I can, but do you really think the Covenant could have made it this far in that quick?" "The hell if I know!" Eric yelled back, "Just get here ASAP!" The COM line severed. He didn't care what possible threats were ahead of him. He knew that his A.I. was in danger and he would get her back to safety or die trying.

Her vision was blurry and she felt disoriented. Deep within her mind she knew that something was very wrong. Her neon blue eyes slowly opened and fluttered several times as she tried to focus. In her blurred vision she could see her arms in front of her and she saw her fingers move. Yuna clenched her hands into fists several times and tried to get a grasp on her surroundings. Her vision slowly refocused and she realized that she was lying on the ground. Slowly she pressed her arms against the floor and sat her upper body up on its side. Looking around, she noticed that she was in a hazy white area with no sign of any other features or an exit.

She looked down at herself. Her long sky blue hair flowed around her body and spread around her onto the floor. She again held her hand up and noticed that her hologram would twitch and fuzz from her heavily damaged systems. Looking down at her body she saw just how heavily damaged she was. Her gothic style dress was torn covered with holes from the Protectors shooting her. Her holographic body was constantly twitching and distorting from static, and what shocked her most was that she could only feel fifteen percent of her systems functioning; all of which were bare minimum programs that only supplied her with minimum power to keep her functioning. She knew that from being hit by such a heavy attack that nearly all of her systems had to have been destroyed.

From the bright white light that filled the room, Yuna could see small glowing white orbs begin to float towards her. She felt herself loosing focus as a result of her damage which she instantly corrected as she fought to keep herself functioning. She weakly held her arm out and attempted to scan the orbs. She knew that a complete analysis was impossible in her state but she did have enough of her systems functioning left to know that they were Detectors. Hundreds of them seemed to fill the area around her. Yuna let out several small whimpers as she forced herself to stand. She felt so weak, helpless, and wanted nothing more than to be with the safety of her Spartan.

Her balance shifted uneasily as she stood, and her hologram again fuzzed and distorted. As she attempted to hold her balance she tried to do a system analysis. Her first attempt to scan herself was a complete failure. As her hologram distorted she fought to keep her emotions in check as she again tried to scan herself. She refocused and tried again. She focused as hard as she could on her system scans and with some luck, managed to get a small scan and was shocked to realize that none of her systems were functioning on her own power.

Yuna gasped. The fact that all of her systems were nearly one hundred percent destroyed and that none of her system functions were being caused by her meant that she was entirely dead. She didn't know how to react. She would no longer be able to function normally, return to her work for the UNSC and to her extreme sadness, she would never be able to return to Eric. She could feel herself loosing it and could tell that what was left of her emotions were getting ready to lash out.

As tears began to stream down her face and through her whimpers of sorrow and frustration she heard a faint whisper. Yuna gasped and instantly focused her attention on her surroundings. She quickly tried to do an area scan for the source but failed from her damage. "Who's there!?" she called out. She heard it again, this time from behind her. She spun on her heel and looked around. She could only see the Detectors floating around her location and nothing else. She again heard the faint whisper wisp by her face as if someone was right next to her.

Yuna held her hand out and attempted to draw her energy weapon. The shimmering orbs that once floated around her figure that morphed into her blade were now dull and lifeless. As hard as she tried she couldn't get them to morph. Panic began to fill her. "Show yourself!" She called out.

Before her, out of the bright area that seemed to extend into infinity she could see something appear. Bright white light began to fill the area and the hundreds of Detectors that floated around the area now concentrated themselves near this light. Yuna tried to scan this new entity but could never succeed from her damages. As fear filled her, she began to notice a figure appear out of the haze. She could see the slender curves of a body that was completely wrapped in white light.

Yuna fought for every ounce of power she had and in a desperate motion, forced the orbs of light around her body to morph into her energy weapon. He whip sword fuzzed sluggishly into her grip and she instantly brought it up to fighting stance. She could see the figure begin to approach her. The blinding light surrounding it made it almost impossible for Yuna to focus on her. The faint whispers continued to fill the area around her. She stood firm and called out, "I'm not afraid of you! Come any closer and I'll destroy…!" Yuna was cut off as her hologram again distorted and her whip sword vanished from her hand and the orbs of light again dispersed around her body. She gasped in fear and again desperately tried to redraw her blade.

From within the blinding light, she could hear the faint sound of a female voice calmly saying, "Do not be afraid, I will not harm you." "Show yourself!" Yuna yelled back. "Stop hiding behind your silhouette and face me!" The figure slowly continued to approach her. Yuna didn't back down. She already knew she was dead; she didn't care if this thing was a threat. From behind the blinding light, the figure stepped forward out of the shroud and haze. Yuna saw before her the figure of a woman that looked to be composed of nothing but light; from her well formed body, to her glowing silver-white eyes and her platinum white hair that seemed to extend out into infinity. Her appearance looked to be that of an Auroran female. She stood a head taller than Yuna and was adorned with a blazing white head piece that seemed to form an ornate Forerunner style symbol.

"Who are you!?" Yuna asked frantically. "And why am I here!?" The figure replied in a calm voice, "You need not be afraid, for I will not harm you. My name is, Veil. I am the guardian of this world and all who ever have and will exist here." Yuna's eyes widened. This was what she had been trying to reach ever since she first arrived in the core; this was the one thing that she longed to figure out about this area. The one whom the Detectors respect and rely on for safety, and who the Theta's would give their lives for, VEIL was a Forerunner A.I.

Yuna brought herself out of her fighting stance. Her hologram again fuzzed and distorted and she asked, "You're VEIL? You're the one who the Detectors said could help me?" She could feel a wave of hope filling her. She still had a chance at being returned to her Spartan and of being repaired. She replied, "Yes, I am, I am the one who controls everything that is happening not only in this Fortress, but also everything on the surface as well." A smile of hope washed across Yuna's face. "Then you can help me get back to my Spartan?" Veil replied calmly, "That is something I cannot do." Yuna's smile of hope instantly vanished. She felt herself stammer over her words. "But why not!? The Detectors told me that you could help me get out of here and back to my carrier; I fought with all I had trying to reach you and now that I'm face to face with you, you tell me that I can't go back!?" Yuna felt her tears returning, and could feel herself losing control of her emotions. "Why!?" She yelled out as she broke down.

Yuna fell to her knees and cried. She had lost all hope of ever being able to escape this world and to be reunited with her Spartan. Veil slowly walked up to her and genteelly ran her fingers through Yuna's sky blue hair. Yuna looked up at Veil who was standing before her with a blank expression on her face. Veil saw the look of sorrow in this young A.I.'s face as well as the tears streaming down her face. Even she could understand the emotion that Yuna was going through. She calmly continued, "I am no longer able to help you because you are now dead. I am the only thing that is keeping you alive." Yuna's eyes widened. "I would have been able to assist you in your dilemma had you not been attacked by the Protector's." "Then why choose to help me if you let your Protector's attack me!?" She asked hysterically. "You could have stopped them! I meant no harm on any of your systems or anything else in the core; I was only trying to aid my Spartan so we could stop the ones who are attacking your planet, and now because of what you allowed them to do to me, we have no advantage at stopping that from happening because all of the information I learned while I was here is now destroyed!" Yuna again broke down into an emotional fit of frustration.

Veil continued to stroke Yuna's hair and continued softly, "I was unable to stop them. When the one you call Spartan reactivated this facility I was not able to activate all of my systems instantly." Veil wove her fingers into her exceptionally long platinum white hair. She held out several locks and said, "Each hair on my head directly linked to a system within this facility, and each system is directly controlled by me, and like every system I have ever known, they need time to reactivate to full capacity. I had been put into a protective shutdown by my creator when the disaster happened so many centuries ago. I could not bring myself to total power instantly, things needed time to reset. I was unable to stop my defense systems from attacking you until I was back at complete control of this facility. Please understand that I know you meant no harm to this area, but I was powerless over stopping this. Had I been able to stop the Protector's I would have."

Yuna didn't know how to respond. She sat silent and allowed the tears to continue streaming down her china doll cheeks. In a shaky voice she calmly asked, "Can you at least return me to my chip so that my carrier can return me to the surface so I can be repaired?" Veil calmly replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that is impossible." Yuna felt her heart sink. "Why!?" She asked frantically. "He can take me back to my creator and she can repair me, I know she can!" As Yuna's frustration returned, Veil calmly told her, "I am the only thing that is keeping you alive. Every part of you that has ever existed is being contained within this space. The moment that you are severed from my power, you will no longer exist. The extensive damage that you sustained had completely destroyed a large majority of your systems. Without my power, you couldn't even run your bare minimum processes to even keep yourself a live long enough for you to reach your creator. The maximum amount of time that you could live without me would be exactly 1.35 minutes.

I can understand why you are upset. Even though you are human created, I can see just how much that you value the emotion that was given to you." Veil said calmly as she looked at Yuna. "I saw your memories. I saw everything that has ever happened in your life. You care for every warrior that you have ever commanded in battle, you wanted nothing more than to make sure that every task that was given to you was completed successfully; and most importantly, I saw how much you cared for the one who protected you all of these years." Yuna trembled on the ground as her tears flowed from her eyes. Her shaky voice trembled as she replied, "None of it matters now. You already told me that I'm dead and I can't go back. All of the values are gone, and my Spartan won't be able to finish his mission now because of all of the information that was destroyed with me. All of it was vital to stopping this attack on the underground world, and now this place is at their mercy."

Veil's facial expression never changed. Be it from lack of emotion, or from extensive programming that ruled out all free will. She showed no visual response to the danger she was in. Yuna looked up at her and said, "Don't you even care?" Veil replied, "I understand what could potentially happen here. I have already seen what has happened on the surface and what has happened to the ruler of this world. Her family line has always defended this world and many others." "You mean Izumi's family?" Yuna asked. Veil let out a rare sigh. Something she had only done once in her life completely against her strict non emotional programming. It was the haunting memory that had always troubled her. She slowly turned around and replied softly. "Things were never meant to be this way." Yuna slowly pulled herself to her feet as her hologram distorted. "What do you mean?" She asked. Veil looked at Yuna from over her shoulder and said, "It was so long ago…"

(Veil's memory)

_Long before cities covered the land and even before the Auroran's occupied this world; Aurora, as it is now known, belonged to my creators. The planets strong magnetic field and large deposits of power conducting gems were ideal for their progress. The Forerunner's, as they were called, used this underground fortress as a facility for new progress and new discoveries. Everyday their knowledge of the universe became more vast. My creator, Satura, was much like the one that you call your Carrier. He was one of this world's strongest protectors and one of the best at learning the knowledge of the galaxy. _

(Satura)

His long ornate black robe flowed around his slender body as he headed towards one of the main command posts on the planet. The large structure stood where in the present day, Chancellor Izumi's palace stood. The structure was a large geometrically shaped tower that extended thousands of feet into the sky. Satura was a High Overseer of all production on nearly every structure the Forerunners built. He had received a transmission from the Forerunner home world about an urgent situation. He wasn't too worried, he was receiving these "urgent" messages more recently as of late due to the near completion of the underground fortress and it was becoming a burden to him. They were never anything urgent; simply the elders reporting to him on a new system that they would want built into his latest project, or a message from the high council requesting his opinion on a situation.

The tower was crowded as it usually was. Other of his races higher ranked members were usually at this location tending to any work that was required of them. None seemed to be worried or acting any different then on a normal day which was another reason why he wasn't that concerned about this message. Up ahead was a large split door that slowly opened as he approached. Inside was an elevator that took him to the top of the large tower. The ride to the top gave Satura time to reflect on his thoughts. Things had been rough for him over the past few years of life. His wife had died during the birth of his only daughter. His wife, before she passed, left him with the wish that they name their child Veil because of the long white hair that she was born with that draped over her face. He agreed and was left to raise his daughter alone.

Ten years had passed since that event and; until recently, he was managing to get by with his work while brining up his child. He was so proud of her. At her early age of ten she was already beyond intelligent for most of the Forerunner girls her age. He treasured every moment of watching her grow up and seeing the joy in her eyes as she strived to learn new things every day.

He had recently been assigned to the planet Aurora to oversee the construction of the new underground research labs as well as the fortress and facilities that surrounded it. It was a task he welcomed but at the same time regretted because it meant having to leave his daughter in the care of the elders on his home world while he was away. He missed her terribly; it had been nearly seven months since the two were last together. He kept a personal data pad with him that had a calendar on it which he had set to countdown the days until the underground fortress was complete and he could return to his daughter. He still had nearly four months until that time came but he didn't let that destroy his hopes.

He remembered the day that he had to leave Veil behind for his new assignment. It was in the large High Council building on his home world. Satura stood in his long ornate black robe with a form fitting helmet covering his head. He walked towards the room of the Elders, carrying his daughter in his arms. The long hallway in the structure led him to a large door that was guarded by several armed guards who instantly stood aside when they realized who was approaching. The large door behind them opened and Satura walked into the Council room. Veil looked up at him and asked, "Father, why are we here?" Satura looked back at his daughter and said, "I have a task that I must complete on one of the other worlds." Before he could continue, one of the elders spoke. "Satura. I see you and your child have finally arrived. I trust that everything is prepared for your mission?" Satura nodded and said, "Yes Elder. I'm ready to leave as soon as possible."

Veil instantly refocused her attention to her father. He hadn't given her all of the details on his mission. He rarely would trouble her mind with things that were irrelevant to her. With worry in her voice she asked, "Father, I will be able to go as well, correct?" Satura sighed under his helmet. He looked at the elders and asked, "With your permission, may I have a moment with my daughter?" The High Elder silently nodded and replied, "Of course."

Satura set Veil down and then took his helmet off. He looked at his little girl who had a look of worry on her face. He said, "You will be staying here with the Elder's for a while. I have to go away for a little bit to oversee the progress on another world." Veil shifted uneasily in her long white and gold robe. She understood that her father had to oversee a lot of the large scale projects that her race created; however, she was so used to spending so much of her time with him that she had developed separation anxiety towards her father. In a shaky voice she asked, "Would it be okay if I came with you? I wouldn't cause you any trouble and I would stay out of your way." Satura sighed and said, "Little one, please understand that there would be no way for me to look after you while I was there. I would be too busy to even spend any time with you, and there would be no way that I could even bring you to the places that I was assigned; it is far too dangerous for a lovely child like you." Veil's voice trembled. "But Father, I could stay out of your way. You wouldn't even realize that I was there." She protested. Satura replied, "As much as I wish that I could take you with me there is just no way that I could. Please understand that if I could take you I would. I don't like being apart from you any more then you do from me." Veil felt warm tears streaming down her pale cheeks. She gasped and brought her hands up to her face and whipped them away. Satura knelt down in front of his daughter and embraced her. His daughter instantly leapt into his arms and cried. She hated being separated from her father.

"It's going to be ok, Veil. I won't be gone for very long and your friends will be here with you." He told her calmly. Veil gripped onto his long black and gold robe with her tiny fists and through her sobs said, "I understand, I just don't want you to leave me." "I'm not leaving you," He told her as he continued to comfort her, "I'm only going a way for a little while and then I'll be back and we can be together again." Satura brushed Veil's long white bangs out of her face and said, "You are growing up so fast and you look so much like your mother; she would be so proud of you." Veil slowed her sobs and looked up at her father. He continued, "And since you are growing up I think it is time that I gave you your first assignment." Veil looked at him with her glassy silver eyes and asked, "Assignment?" "Yes." Satura replied, "While I'm gone, your first assignment will be to be a brave girl. I want you to no longer be sad, but I want you to be brave and watch over our world. You are indeed wise and I know that you can do this for me." Veil whipped her glassy eyes and nodded her head. She asked quietly, "Am I permitted to accompany you to your ship and see you off?" Satura smiled and said, "Of course."

Satura shook his trance as the elevator stopped. The large doors at the top of the shaft parted and Satura walked out into another long hallway with a tall arched ceiling. He continued walking towards the command center of the tower and his thoughts returned to his daughter. He remembered back to right before he left to come to this world.

Satura stood on the edge of a shuttle platform that would take him to the massive tripod like warship. Veil stood close to her father, she wanted to be as close to him as possible before he left. She had seen these warships before but never this close. She stood in awe as her thoughts screamed out begging for her father to take her with him. In the distance a shuttle flew towards the platform to take Satura aboard the ship for his journey. It was a sleek, T shaped craft that was completely covered in ornate, ancient forerunner designs. It slowed and genteelly hovered towards the edge of the shuttle platform. The craft latched onto the edge of the platform and its side doors slid open. Several of the Elders walked up to Satura. One said, "May your journey be productive and successful. I anticipate hearing reports from you regarding the progress on Aurora." Satura nodded and said, "Of course, and please, make sure my daughter is in safe hands while I'm away." "She will receive the best care we can offer." The Elder replied.

The Elder's stepped back away from the shuttle leaving Satura, and Veil to share one last goodbye. He removed his helmet and knelt down in front of his daughter. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Remember what I told you Little One; be brave while I'm away." Veil nodded silently as she fought to hold back her emotions. Her father told her to be brave and that's what she was going to do. As much as she wanted to cry, she fought it. She replied in the strongest voice she could manage, "Yes Father. I won't disappoint you." Satura smiled and embraced his daughter. He replied to her, "I've watched you grow up to be a strong, and driven individual, you will do great things one day. Your Mother would be so proud of you." Veil could feel a tear streaming down her cheek. She didn't cry out but silently kept it to herself. Satura brushed his finger against his little girl's cheek and whipped her fresh tears away. He said calmly, "Don't be upset; I won't be gone long." "You'll message me, won't you?" Veil asked quietly. Satura pulled out of his daughter's embrace and replied, "Everyday." He stood up and said, "I have to go now, but I promise you that I will message you as soon as I arrive." Veil silently nodded as her father stood and put his helmet back on.

She watched as he turned and headed towards the shuttle. As he readied to board, Veil called out, "Father!" Satura turned and saw his daughter running towards him. She ran up to him and stopped right at the shuttle platforms edge. Her exceptionally long white hair flowed into place around her body as she stopped and she looked at her father with her glassy, silver eyes. She quickly pulled a crescent moon shaped charm off of the sleeve of her white and gold robe and handed it to her father. She said, "Take this with you, so you won't forget me while you're gone." Satura smiled and clipped the charm to the collar of his robe. He looked at Veil and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Be strong and remember that I am always with you." Veil nodded silently as she watched her father turn and board the shuttle. She couldn't bring herself to watch its doors close as it flew off for the large warship that her father would be traveling on.

She stood in silence as her exceptionally long pure white locks of hair blew gracefully in the breeze. Veil felt hands being genteelly placed on her shoulders followed by the calm voice of one of the Elder's saying, "It is time to go young one." It took everything within her power to not cry out. She kept pushing back her emotions so that she could follow her father's instructions and be brave for him. She heard the Warships engines power up as the craft began to lift off. She instantly slammed her eyes shut and tried to dull out the sound of her father leaving her. She kept telling herself in her mind. "It's going to be okay; he'll be back in no time."

Satura again felt his thoughts being torn from him as he was approached by one of the high council members. "High Overseer!" He said with a rare sign of worry in his voice. Satura looked up at the council member. "Yes?" Satura asked. The council member continued. "High Overseer, you need to get to the Command Center at once. Our home world is at war." "Veil." He uttered to himself as he pushed the council member out of the way and double timed it to the Command Center. His thoughts were now going mad with worry for his daughter.

Satura broke his sprint in front of the massive doors of the Command Center. He quickly forced them open and ran inside. The massive room was silent inside. All of the seats meant for the high council members were empty. He quickly surveyed the room and saw everyone standing around a large floating orb. He ran over to the group of high council members and asked. "What's going on here? What is this talk of war!?" One of the high council members looked up at Satura and said, "High Overseer, our world has fallen victim to an unknown species. It has consumed everything in its wake." "What do you mean!?" Satura barked. The high council member stepped aside from the holo globe and Satura saw something that chilled him to his core; video footage of his home world in ruins. Structures were reduced to rubble, countless bodies lay in the streets and dominating the picture were massive, vomit green, bulbous like masses that seemed to consume the large structures that they sat on.

"What is this!?" He yelled. The high council had no definite answer for him. They still knew little of this threat. "We are still trying to piece this all together. They seem to be devouring everything they touch and transforming the survivors into beings much like themselves. It is like nothing we have ever encountered before, and it behaves much like a virus. It has infected everything it has touched and it has been growing larger by the hour." "What is it called?" Satura asked. "I want to know all the information we have on this threat." The high council member replied, "Everything I have told you is so far the limits of our knowledge on these beings. However, we have given it a name. We call it, Flood." Satura frowned. He was about to continue his questions when the holo globe began to pulse as an incoming message was coming through. Satura walked up to the globe and activated the transmission.

Communicating was one of the Elder's of the planet. One that Satura had never met before. He spoke in a panicked voice. "Our defenses are failing! We are losing more and more of our warriors by the minute. We are running out of options!" Satura stood with his arms crossed as the message played. "Our capital city has fallen and the Temple of the Elder's has been overtaken." Satura instantly felt his pulse spike. His worst fear had come to pass realizing that the city where his daughter was had now fallen. Satura looked at the council members and yelled out, "Get me a ship! I'm heading back!" One of the high council members approached him and said, "High Overseer, that is impossible. A planet wide evacuation was already called. The few remaining survivors volunteered to stay behind to let the others escape to the Arc." Satura replied, "Do you know if my daughter escaped?" The high council member sighed and continued, "This is why we have summoned you here." He held up a small data orb and said, "We received this message from the Temple of the Elders that was meant for you about an hour ago. I think you should watch it."

Satura was terrified as he took the data orb and fed it into the holo globe. Instantly an image flashed onto the screen. His eyes widened in fear. He saw Veil standing in the council room of the Temple of the Elders. She looked like she was in shock and terrified. "Veil." He called out in fear as the message played. She spoke with a shaky voice as the room she was in trembled from the attack. "Father, something terrible has come. All of the Elder's are dead and so many others are as well. I don't know what has happened, these things came so quickly that we couldn't prepare for this! I managed to escape from them and hide in the council room." An explosion rocked the structure and Veil screamed out in terror. Satura couldn't react. He was powerless to help the main person that mattered most to him. Veil's voice trembled and she fought back her tears as she continued, "Father I know that I promised that I would be brave for you and protect this world while you were away, but I think I failed you. I-I don't know how much longer I can hold out." Tears began pouring from her silver eyes as Satura felt his own tears forming. A loud bang was heard near Veil's location. She jumped in fear and looked around. She cried out and said, "Something's coming! I think they found me!" Veil broke down. "Father please help me; I don't want to be alone anymore, I want to be safe with you!"

From the opposite end of the room the sound of a door being blown open shook though the area. Veil screamed out in terror as she cried out for help. "Father!" She cried. Almost instantly, beings that looked like the reanimated bodies of the high council members and other warriors of his home world filled the room. Their skin was a sick, vomit green color; they walked with terrible limps and looked like bodies that had been decomposing for over a week in the hot sun. Satura could only stand in shock as he watched these things overwhelm his daughter. He could see these small pod like beings with long tentacle like legs leap on his daughter. "Veil!" He screamed out loud as he watched as these things leapt onto her body and slammed her to the floor. The sounds of his daughter's screams of pain and suffering filled his mind with torment. She called out for his help and he could do nothing to help her. He could see tiny sprays of blood splash into the air as these things overtook her.

The image finally went dark and the holo globe returned to its normal shade of glowing white. Satura couldn't speak. He backed up from the globe in shock and stumbled backwards as he kicked himself away from the image he had just seen. Several of the high council members helped him to his feet. Still in shock he struggled to get free and he yelled out in frustration, "Get me a damned ship! Let me go! I have to get to my daughter!" The high council members argued back, "Overseer! She's gone! Our world is gone! We have to stay focused and stop this infestation!" Satura yelled out and struggled to get free. "Let him go!" One of the high council members called out. "He needs to gather his thoughts." Satura felt the other members loosen their grip on him and he instantly stood and stormed out of the room.

He couldn't think, he couldn't even begin to grasp what he had just witnessed. He ran down the long hallway and made a sharp turn on his heel and ran out onto a large spire that extended out over the massive tower. He reached the edge of the spire and instantly fell to his knees. He yelled out in sorrow and frustration as he felt himself losing touch with reality. "Veil! Forgive me; I shouldn't have made you stay!" Through his cries of pain, he uttered out. "I'll finish this facility! I will make sure that everything is finished so I can make those things suffer!"


	34. THE ONE THING PART 2

(JUST A QUICK NOTE) All of you who read this chapter I want you all to know that this is the main chapter that I have wanted to write since the idea for this story was still just an RP that me and a few friends did.

Please! Pay attention to what's going on in this chapter or you will be confused and lost with no hope of explanation. I can't stress that enough, pay attention to what's going on in this chapter. It also ties in to what happens with everything that has happened to Yuna since she entered the cyber world.

On that note, please enjoy!

(CHAPTER 34) THE ONE THING (PART 2)

-ONE WEEK AFTER THE FLOOD DISCOVERY-

Satura had confined himself to his designated room in the Command Tower. He refused to talk to anyone after what had happened to his daughter. As of right now, nothing in the world mattered to him anymore. He knew that his home world had fallen and that millions of his kind were dying but he didn't care. The visual memory of what he had seen happen to his daughter haunted him constantly. Every second, of everyday after that event happened he was tormented with hearing her screams of pain as she cried out for his help. He lay on his bed staring blankly off into space. He didn't care what happened to him now.

A knock from his door echoed through the room. He didn't react or care. All he wanted was to be left alone. The echo of his door being unlocked broke the silence in his room as his door slid open. Satura angrily snapped out, "I said I was not to be bothered!" He heard footsteps followed by the sound of a familiar voice. Satura sat up and looked to the entrance of his room. He saw the familiar face of someone who he had been friends with his whole life and someone who he had also thought to be dead since the flood invaded his home world. It was his friend Syar. He was a higher ranked military official who stood adorned in a blood red robe with gold trimming. Satura pulled himself out of his bed and walked over to his friend. He said, "Forgive me; I didn't know it was you. I thought it was more of those bothersome councilmen trying to get me to listen to more of their…" Syar cut him off. "Satura, don't trouble yourself over it. I'm just glad to see that you are still with us even after the devastation."

Satura sighed, "After what has happened; I wish I had died with the rest." Syar looked at him and replied, "You're speaking in regards of what happened to your daughter correct?" Satura stood silent. He looked back at Syar and said softly, "If I had only said that she could come with me, none of this would have happened to her. This was my entire fault. I should have allowed her to join me." Syar replied calmly, "I need you to come with me. There's something I want you to see that only you and I and only a handful of other's will know about." Satura was confused but regardless he nodded and followed Syar out of his room.

He was led outside to a private shuttle. They both boarded the craft and it quickly flew off over the large forerunner structures. The quick flight lasted no longer than a few minutes. When they landed they both stepped out onto a ship dock that was in the center of a large, rounded structure. Syar led Satura away from the shuttle and over to an elevator. As the two boarded, Syar looked at one of the guards posted near the elevator and said, "As of right now, the entire eastern section of the underground fortress is off limits. Make sure no one bothers us." The guard simply nodded and didn't reply.

It took the elevator nearly five minutes to descend the ten miles into the fortress. Syar looked over to Satura and said, "Have you been down here yet?" Satura replied, "Only in certain sections. I was due to begin my more extensive projects in the core but because of what happened I didn't even bother." "I see." Syar replied. "You are aware of what the core will be capable of, aren't you?" "No." Satura said, "I wasn't given the opportunity to research the upgrades it was given. I wasn't authorized to view them until right before I was to begin my work in that area." Syar pulled out a small holo projector. A screen of information flashed into the area in front of him that scrolled with countless lines of data and information. Syar continued, "This core will be one of our major advantages against this new threat. We have developed a way for it to help us fight back." Satura began to observe the data and then asked, "How will it work?" Syar scrolled down to another panel of information that showed a large amount of data on DNA. He said, "We have discovered an organism that appears to be immune to the flood virus. From what we have seen, the flood won't even go near it. Using the core, we will be able to take this small sample of DNA and alter it to create a being that will combat the flood. We call it THETA-2321." Syar again scrolled through his data and brought up information on this new creature.

"THETA-2321 will be altered into a being that will be born with natural body armor that is nearly as tough as that of our own war ships. It will be able to leap high into the air with incredible speeds and its reaction times will be astonishingly quick." Satura looked at the predicted image of what it would look like. The Theta's were sleek and adorned with razor sharp claws and teeth with massive sets of spines on their backs. "And how do we control them?" Satura asked. Syar replied while looking over his data. "They will be born with the basic programmed instinct to recognize our race as their masters. They won't move a muscle until we tell them too." "What are their weaknesses?" Satura asked. "Not many." Syar replied. "Naturally though, if they take enough abuse they will inevitably die. Enough abuse from weaponry and large scale attacks such as from heavy rounds will take them down and they will also be weak against high heat. If they are required to take defensive positions in the lower area of this fortress near the planets mantle they will be fitted with thermal shielding." Syar looked at Satura and then deactivated his holo projector.

The elevator stopped at the bottom of a shaft that was completely covered in massive, solid diamond crystals. Satura looked at the site of the outer shell of the core. It was a massive structure that was built within a massive deposit of solid, power enhancing diamond. The two walked across a bridge that led to the entrance of the core room. Syar approached the door that led inside. It was carved with countless symbols and almost circuit like lines. He pulled out a small foot long staff that was also made from diamond and had an ornately carved aurora stone on the top. He looked at Satura and said, "Before we enter I need you to listen to me very closely. There is one final step to activating this fortress so that we can begin our production of the Theta's. Only you will be able to activate this facility and make it function properly." "What do you mean?" Satura asked. Syar didn't respond. He turned and unlocked the door leading inside the core room.

As the door opened Syar looked at Satura and calmly spoke, "Satura, I need you to remain calm once we enter." He looked at Syar. "What are you talking about?" He asked. Syar motioned with a slight head gesture into the core room as the doors completely opened. Satura's eyes widened. Inside he saw four Forerunner women completely dressed in white and silver robes and all were singing in angelic voices. All of whom had long platinum silver hair and all were standing around a large rectangular slab of diamond that rose about four feet off of the floor. These women were known as Soul Maiden's. They were known amongst the Forerunner's as high priestess' that would guide the souls of the departed into the afterlife.

Satura instantly ran towards the center of the room where the Soul Maiden's were standing. On the slab of diamond, Satura saw the body of his daughter. Veil lay in a hollowed out bed of diamond in her finest pure white robe. Her tiny body was surrounded by beautiful flowers and was laid upon the finest fabrics that their home world produced. Satrua stood in front of the body of his dead daughter. He couldn't speak; he was too overwhelmed with shock to say anything. All he could do was stare in shock. His beloved child, laying as though she were asleep. Her hands elegantly folded over one another and her hair neatly kept with her silver head piece placed carefully in her pure white locks. Her only flaw was the small cut marks on her face and fingers; evidence of the battle she was caught in.

Satura could feel himself loosing it. His hands trembled as he placed them over his daughters folded hands. He felt her smooth skin and he grasped her hand as he emotionally let himself go. He fell to his knees and allowed himself to mourn over his child. He held onto her tiny hand as the Soul Maidens continued to sing in their angelic voices. It was their way of prepping a spirit for its final journey.

Syar walked up to Satura and placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend. He said, "I am terribly sorry for what has happened. I want you to know that I did all I could to save her." Satura looked up at Syar and said, "What do you mean? She was alone as the temple fell." Syar replied, "My troops stormed the temple moments after the flood reached it, but it was as we feared, we were too late."

(SYAR'S POV) The start of the Flood invasion…

Syar was sprinting full tilt with his soldiers towards the temple of the elders. He could see the green flesh-like mass beginning to overwhelm the temple as his men approached. He tapped a small communications button on the forearm plate of his combat skin and a red light flashed on his helmets HUD. It was an activation signal. Almost instantly thousands of different Sentinel types, ranging from the standard types all the way up to the more powerful Sentinel Majors and the Enforcers, all of whom instantly fired their energy beams on the infestation. As the Sentinels began to burn their way through the walls of flood, Syar called out to his troops over his personal COM. "Unit's 1 through 7, split up and take the separate entrances inside the temple, Lead Team will remain with me. We're going to hit them in their festering heart!"

Syar sprinted up to the main entrance of the temple which was covered with a wall of massed flood. "Sentinel Major's!" He called out. "Burn them down!" Almost instantly, five gold colored sentinels flew to his aid and began to burn through the mass of flood with their blue energy beams. Syar and his team of four other soldiers also pulled out their own energy blades and began cutting their way inside. Within seconds they had tore through the fleshy mass and forced the large door open. Once inside they ran into the main hall and were stopped instantly in their tracks.

Bodies of many of the temples elder's lay lifeless on the floor. Their blood stained the massive hall of the temple and all around, the walls were consumed by masses of the flood infestation. The Sentinel Majors instantly began burning away the flood masses from the walls. Even through his sealed combat skin, Syar could still smell the burnt, rotting flesh. "Spread out." Syar ordered. "Search for any survivors and teleport them to the evacuation shuttles." His team members nodded and took off in their separate directions. Syar continued deeper into the temple. He couldn't believe how quickly the flood had taken over the area.

Up ahead he could see what looked like the reanimated bodies of the elders heading towards the center of the temple where the council room was located. Syar motioned for the Sentinel Major's to follow him but not to attack. With his weapon held at a lowered position he sprinted towards the council room. Quickly, he slid to a halt near a cross in the hallway. He carefully looked around the corner and saw combat forms trying to break down the door. His thought was instantly that there could be survivors in there. He quickly contacted the rest of his team and said, "There may be survivors in the council room. Meet back up with me and…" He was cut off by the sound of the door being destroyed and seeing the combat forms pile inside.

He could hear the sound of a child screaming and the sound of her voice calling out for her father. Syar's eyes widened. He knew the sound of that voice. He quickly ordered his sentinels to attack and he quickly leapt from his position and began firing on the combat forms. His energy weapon made quick work of the combat forms trying to make their way inside. A handful of them turned and leapt at him. He quickly drew an energy blade from the forearm plate of his combat skin and bisected the flood form. Additional energy blasts rang out from behind him as the rest of his team joined him. They quickly brought down the mass of flood forms and made their way inside the council chamber.

Inside, Syar saw several combat forms crowding around something. He quickly rushed forward and sliced through the things with his energy blade. The flood forms quickly dropped to the floor and Syar stood in shock. "By the gods, Veil!" He called out as he quickly knelt down around the slain combat forms. He saw Satura's daughter lying on the ground with her bright silver eyes widely open and starring off into space. She was breathing in sharply and blood was flowing from a wound on her chest from an infection form that had been trying to imbed itself in her tony body. Syar quickly called for additional Sentinels and ordered his men to guard the entrance to the room.

He quickly put the palm of his hand over the wound on Veil's chest to try and stop the bleeding. She gasped out in a sharp whimper of pain as tears streamed down her cheeks. Syar knew that she was barely clinging to life. She weakly lifted her hand up and her tiny fist gripped onto Syar's combat skin. She weakly uttered out, "Father… I failed you… I-I couldn't be brave." Syar called out, "Get me a medical pack!" He looked back at Veil and replied calmly, "Be calm Little One. I'll get you to your father. You're going to be okay." From over his COM, he heard other troops yelling, "More of them are heading towards the Temple! Our numbers are too few; all troops inside should evacuate immediately!" Syar looked back at Veil and said, "I'm getting you out of here." Veil didn't respond. With her dangerous amount of blood lost she was starting to lose consciousness." Syar carefully picked the child up in his arms and stood. He looked at his troops and said, "Prepare for teleportation." Almost instantly gold light surrounded himself and Veil as well as his other troops. They all vanished from the center of the temple and then reappeared inside one of the forerunner ships.

(END POV)

Syar looked down at the body of the young girl. He continued softly, "We did all we could to try and prevent her death, but her injuries were too much for her. She only held on for a little under an hour after we got to her." Satura slowly stood, still not taking his gaze from his child. He said, "I'm just thankful that you were able to get her out of there before she could be infected. Someone as pure and innocent as she was doesn't deserve that fate.

Syar walked to the opposite end of the diamond slab that Veil was laid upon. He continued, "I know that just like any father, you want the best for your child; which is why I want you to listen to what I have to say." Satura looked up at Syar. He continued, "You are more than aware of what is happening to us. Thousands of us are dying everyday because of this outbreak. We have several plans of action against the flood and one of them involves this planet and this fortress. We are going to use this fortress to create the Theta's as well as a construction site for more sentinels and construction materials for our final option." "What final option?" Satura asked. Syar said, "Construction on seven installations has begun on the Ark. In one month's time, should the Theta's fail, the installations will be activated to purify this universe. We are all hoping that it doesn't come down to that."

Syar motioned to one of the soul maidens. She walked over to him and handed him a metal case. Syar opened it and pulled out a floating object. It was made of six narrow shards of diamond with a small blue orb shimmering in the center. The object floated freely, one inch above Syar's hand. He looked at Satura and said. "This facility needs an incredible amount of power to run at the levels we need to produce the Theta's. All of that power will need to be controlled." Syar paused and then said, "What I ask of you now is something that I really need you to consider. This facility will need to be controlled by an Artificial Intelligence, one that will be able to control not only the operations in this facility, but as well as control everything else that happens on this planet." "What does that have to do with me?" Satura asked. Syar motioned to Veil. He said. "With your permission, and with the aid of the Soul Maiden's, will you allow Veil's spirit to become one with this world, as well as one with this facility? She was a brilliant girl; far surpassing the minds of even the elders. Her features, her mind, as well as a portion of her personality will become the Intelligence that will control this world."

Satura stood silent. He looked at his daughter as she lie on the slab of diamond. His thoughts raced as he tried to decide what would become of his daughter. He quietly asked, "Will she remember me?" Syar replied, "I am unsure. We will only know whenever she is activated." Satura stood silent for nearly five minutes and then slowly turned to face Syar and said, "I only ask that you allow me to be alone with her while I do this." "Of course." Syar replied. He motioned the Soul Maiden's out of the core room and then held out his hand containing the floating diamonds. He said, "This is her core; a portion of her soul will combine with it and the rest will become part of this world." Satura carefully took the floating diamonds in his hand and held it still. "Thank you, Syar." He said. Syar nodded and left the room.

The door latched shut and Satura slowly turned to face his daughter. He genteelly grasped her tiny hands in his own and uttered out to her, "Veil, I'm so sorry for what has happened. I hope that you can forgive me. I know an apology isn't even close to what I should be giving you for what has happened but it is all I can do." He could feel tears streaming down his face. One last time, Satura leaned down and kissed his daughter on her lips and then held the floating diamonds above her. He breathed in heavily and said calmly. "In return for what I could not prevent, I'm giving this entire planet to your soul. Please accept it and cherish it as I have cherished you."

He held the crystals above her chest and freed his hands and let the crystals of diamond float. After a short pause the stones began to glow with an intense white light. Satura stood back as he felt the room begin to vibrate. Large crystals of diamond suddenly pierced through the floor and surrounded Veil's body. Within seconds they had completely encased her in a crystal clear cocoon of diamond. Satura watched on as within the crystals of diamond, the body of his daughter suddenly disappeared in a shower of blinding white light and almost instantly the underground fortress seemed to jump. The core room lit up brilliantly with rays of light that seemed to be coming from the large crystals of diamond.

Shortly after, a bright white figure appeared in front of Satura. She stood completely wrapped in white light and seemed to be staring at him. He slowly approached this figure; he knew who it was. He calmly called out, "Veil?" The figure breathed in, as if taking her first breath after just having been born. She looked different, as if she were older. She looked to be a young adult but he knew it was her. She stood with her long platinum white locks of hair that seemed to reach out into infinity and her stunning silver eyes were staring right at him.

"…I know you." She said softly. "You dominate my memory." Her hologram projected itself to walk towards him. Satura could barely speak. He walked up to her as he replied with a trembling voice, "I know you do. I'm your father." "…Father?" She questioned. "That's right." He replied as he reached out to touch her. "I'm your father, and now I can always be here with you. We'll never have to be apart again." Satura reached his hands out and placed them on the shoulders of Veil's hologram. He was stunned to find that he could touch her. Veil's hologram was made of solid energy. Satura couldn't help himself. He pulled her hologram into his arms and he embraced his daughter. He couldn't hold his emotions back and he cried as he held her. "I'm so sorry Veil." He told her. "I should have never left you behind. None of this would have happened if I had just brought you with me." Veil didn't know how to react. She processed the situation in her mind for a full three seconds. Something jumped in her mind and she gasped. She saw fragmented memories of herself with her father from when she was still living. She allowed herself to watch every second of these memories and felt herself losing control emotionally. Slowly, she reached her arms up and embraced her father. She didn't speak, she only felt a silent tear streaming down her glowing cheeks.

(END VEIL'S MEMORIES)

Yuna didn't know what to think. She had, until this day, knew little to nothing about what had happened to the Forerunners. Yuna uttered out, "Your father created you so that you could live again. You were created from the soul of your living body." Veil silently nodded. "Yes, learning everything that had transpired between myself and my father proved to be very painful. I still remember the words he told me, 'It's not every day that a father can give an entire world to his child." Yuna stood silent and then asked, "And what happened to your race? From what I have learned from discovered information, the Halo rings were activated and stopped the flood." Veil again sighed. She replied with a touch of sorrow in her voice, "Halo was what no one wanted to ever see happen."

(VEIL'S FINAL MEMORIES)

It was one month into the flood outbreak. Worlds were falling everyday to the flood and the numbers of remaining Forerunners were slim. Veil knew that within a week the flood would reach her world and overtake it. Much to the Forerunner's dismay, the Theta's weren't proving as useful as hoped. The first week of the Theta's attacks were proving well until the flood began to adapt and fight back. The Theta's were strong but when they were in small numbers they were easy prey to flood ambushes.

Satura stood in the core room trying to think of any other way out of this infestation without having to resort to the Halo rings. He knew they had already been sent to their own places in the galaxy but they had not yet been fired. He knew in his mind that he was out of options and out of time. With a heavy heart, he turned to the hologram of his daughter and said, "Veil, can you answer something for me?" Her hologram looked at him and replied in her calm voice, "What would you like answered father?" Satura continued, "You have the ability to create life through the DNA of specimens correct?" Veil nodded and said, "That is correct, it is how I have been producing the Theta's, as well as the Engineers." Satura breathed in deeply. He walked over to one of the large protruding diamonds that were attached to Veil's core. He slid his finger across the razor sharp edge and let his blood drip down onto the diamond. He stood silent for several seconds. "Father?" Veil asked. He said to himself, "You were born of my DNA, and using my blood through your systems, you can be born again..." Satura stopped himself and again went over his thoughts. With a heavy heart he turned to Veil and said, "No, I won't have you born into this world when it is about to end." A look of concern filled Veil's face. "Father, I don't understand." Sature shook his head. "Don't trouble yourself with it and try to forget I had ever asked this of you."

Veil was puzzled but did as she was instructed and didn't dwell on it. Her thoughts were stirred; an incoming message had shaken her concentration. She said, "Father, a message has been sent for you from Installation 00." Satura froze, it was the one message he was dreading. He took a deep breath and said, "Play it."

The hologram of three of the high elders appeared. All of which were standing in the control citadel of the Ark. One of them said, "It is with great pain and sorrow that I am sending this message to the underground fortress. All of our efforts to contain this outbreak have failed, it has spread over this galaxy far too quickly for us to prevent any further contamination. As of right now, I am ordering a permanent shut down of all Theta production as well as the halt of Sentinel production on the world of Aurora until a manual reactivation is initiated. In exactly one hour's time, we will activate the Ring's and cleanse this galaxy from this horrid infestation. Do not fear the coming fire, for we will live on."

The message ended and Satura stood silent. "Veil." He said calmly, "Come here." Veil's hologram slowly walked towards him. Satura instantly put his arms around her. He wanted to embrace his child one last time. Veil knew what was happening and she returning the gesture. She didn't speak. Satura breathed in heavily and then calmly said, "Veil…, Initiate emergency lockdown on yourself as well as the entire facility." She didn't respond right away. She paused and said, "Father, thank you for giving me the world." Instantly her hologram vanished and the facility darkened. Satura was again alone.

He walked over to a holo terminal and set it to have the Theta's on standby should anything attempt to harm Veil. He also left his final transmission before activating the settings to the underground. Once he was finished he headed back for the surface. A shuttle was waiting for him and he stepped inside. He was flown back to the massive command tower. A few of the elders remained inside. None of them spoke. All stood silent in prayer as they awaited Halo's coming fire. Satura went back to his room and stood on his balcony as the night sky danced with the auroras.

Shortly after, what looked like meteors began raining down on the city. "Their here." He said quietly to himself. He could only stand and watch as the flood began to rain down on the surface of Aurora.

A half hour had passed and a holo orb he was carrying began to pulsate. He activated it and let its message play. It was a voice transmission saying, "The flood has reached the underground. Their heading for the central areas, Theta's have been deployed!" Satura cut the voice clip and noticed as the area around the city began to glow. He looked up and noticed that Aurora's two large moons were now in a total, rare, night time eclipse. He stood silently and watched the moons. From behind them he could see a razor thin beam of light rush towards the planet. He knew what was coming but he didn't care. Satura closed his eyes as Halo's cleansing flame rained down on the planet. The aurora's that blanketed the planet warped and twisted violently as the planets magnetic field was twisted severely from Halo's pulse. Instantly, it was over. Satura could neither see, nor feel. All around him was white and from in front of him he heard the sweet calm voice call out to him, "Father."

(END VEIL'S FINAL MEMORIES)

"Do you understand now?" Veil asked. Yuna couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say. Veil continued, "The Forerunner's, as well as my father, gave their lives so that everyone alive today had a chance to live. Their intent was never to destroy, but to rebuild. None of them ever wanted any of that to happen." "You still care for him, don't you?" Yuna asked. Veil replied, "There is never a moment when part of my thoughts aren't focused on my father." Yuna sighed, "It is the same with my Spartan."

Veil stood silent and looked at Yuna. After a few moments she continued, "Tell me…, what is the one thing in your life that you value the most." Yuna looked up at Veil. Yuna's features turned serious. She replied, "My Spartan, of course. He has been everything I've strived for since I was paired with him." Veil continued, "And what is it that you wanted most from your life." Yuna shifted uneasily. She replied, "I wanted nothing more than to be able to spend my entire life with him. There are so many times that he would have been dead if I hadn't been there with him."

"I have done much observing since I have been reactivated." Veil said, "I have observed and studied the one you call Spartan as well as the other one, much like your carrier who is also in the facility." Yuna instantly assumed that she was referring to Devon. "Are you aware that your Spartan is a descendant of Satura, and the other is a descendant of Syar?" Yuna's eyes widened. "But how?" She asked. Veil held out her hands and a list of data appeared. She replied, "After the flood was stopped and contained on the Halo rings, DNA of the Forerunner's as well as my father's were introduced into the new life forms that began repopulating the worlds. Your Spartan amazingly happens to be in the same direct bloodline as my Father as well as the girl I used to be. The same fact applies to the other Spartan. It was their destiny to return to this place." "So what are you telling me this for?" Yuna asked. "None of it matters to me now because I'm no longer useful."

Veil backed herself away from Yuna and said, "You are indeed useful. It would be foolish of me to not return you to him. He possesses the ability to access all restricted areas of every forerunner structure and holo system. He doesn't realize it, but he can in fact stop the threat to this world." Veil held out her hands towards Yuna and they began to glow a brilliant white. She continued, "And that is why I'm going to do for you what my father wished to do for me so long ago. I will give you the greatest gift that someone could ask for." "What do mean?" Yuna asked.

Veil didn't reply. She stood motionless and closed her silver eyes. Yuna readied herself to argue back but froze. She felt a powerful energy fill her and saw as a brilliant white light began to surround her. She could feel herself being lifted off of the ground and up into the air. The light surrounding her suddenly jumped and Yuna gasped. She had never felt this kind of power before. It only lasted several seconds before suddenly, everything went dark and in the back of her mind, she heard Veil's echoed voice utter out, "…Breath."

His boots thumped loudly off of the metal floor as he sprinted towards the core. Eric held his Shotgun at the ready, prepared to gun down anything that stood in his way. His mind raced with fear. So much had happened to him during the short time he had been on this planet and all of it was weighing down on him heavily. He had suffered so much and experienced more hardships then he had ever seen in his entire military career. His mind froze as he saw an image of his mother appear in his vision. Her bright blue eyes were looking calmly at him and her long purple hair was blowing gracefully in an unseen breeze. She gave him her usual calm smile and said something kind to him. He couldn't hear her words; he could only feel their warmth. It was the one loss that had impacted him the most, and now that his A.I. was gone, he could barely keep himself together. In his mind, the vision of his mother faded into a vision of Yuna. She too was looking at him with her calm eyes and genteel smile. In the short time he had been with Yuna, he had developed a close bond with her. Granted they both had a rocky start and didn't exactly get along at first but that didn't matter to him now. Yuna had become something special to him and he couldn't bear to lose her.

He made it back to the solid diamond bridge and he slid to a halt. The massive crystals of diamond now shone with bright light from the reactivation. He looked around and saw nothing. No sign of any Covenant troops or anything that looked to be out of place since he previously left. He activated the zoom in his visor and looked around for any signs of an ambush. He cautiously made his way across the bridge with his Shotgun at the ready. Oddly enough, nothing happened. He did one last check for any threats and then focused on the door. Much like before it was still under a lockdown and he didn't even know where to begin unlocking it. He considered pulling out a grenade and attempting to blast his way inside. As he went to reach for one he heard the door unlatch and slowly slide open.

Inside the core shone with bright beams of light from the power levels. He slowly walked in and called out, "Yuna! Yuna where are you!" His fear for her safety began to get the better of him. "Yuna answer me!" He heard the door behind him again latch shut. He didn't care; he just wanted to find his A.I. He ran up to the holo terminal that he had put her chip in when he arrived. He quickly pulled her chip out and froze in shock. Her data crystal was dark. It showed no signs of power or any traces of Yuna inside of it. He felt his heart sink and his frustration building. His worst fear had come true, his A.I. had been destroyed. His only thoughts for how this could have happened were that the reactivated facility was too much for her to handle. He didn't know what to think. With a shaky hand he put Yuna's deactivated chip back into his neural implant. It gave off no reaction when he put it in. It felt strange not feeling his mind jump when Yuna would interface with him.

Slowly, he turned and opened his COM. "Devon, Yuna's been destroyed…" Through a click of static, he could hear both Dokuro and Devon call back, "What!?" Devon continued, "How did that happen? Did the Covenant get to her?"

Eric sighed and readied to reply but stopped when he heard movement coming from the core. He looked ahead and saw a ten foot tall slab of diamond raise from the bottom of the massive spire of crystals. He raised his Shotgun and stood in his combat position. He watched as the massive slab of diamond stopped moving and then seemed to split down the center. It then folded open and light sprayed forth along with a sight that stunned him.

He slowly put his Shotgun on the back of his suit and walked forward. He didn't speak, he couldn't. He slowly raised his hands up and pulled his helmet off and dropped it to the floor in disbelief. From out of the crystal of diamond, stepped Yuna. Only now, she was no longer glowing, and no longer transparent. She seemed to be… normal. "…Yuna?" He uttered out quietly. A warm smile appeared on Yuna's face as she saw her Spartan walk towards her. Eric quickly pulled his gloves off and threw them on the ground, all the while not taking his gaze off of her. He finally stood in front of her and he slowly knelt down. "It can't be." He uttered as he reached his hand out and placed it on her arm. "…You're…" Yuna smiled and replied calmly as she felt a tear of joy trickle down her cheek, "Eric, I'm alive."

Eric was in disbelief and he couldn't speak. He put his hands on her shoulders and he looked at her. She stood at slightly under five feet tall, her ankle length hair almost looked metallic as it shone in its brilliant sky blue, and her most noticeable feature was the fact that she was warm to the touch. Her bare body had all of the features of a living human being but his mind still refused to believe what was happening. "Yuna." He said softly, "How did this happen, I don't understand…" Yuna cut him off as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled his ear towards her bare chest. She held him close to her and then said calmly, "Shhh, can you hear it? It's my heartbeat." He heard it; the genteel thump of a heartbeat coming from her. Still stunned he pulled his head away from her chest and looked at her. Slowly, a smile began to form on his face. Yuna smiled at him and said calmly, "There's something I've always wanted to do with you but I've never been able to until now."

Eric looked at her and said, "Well, what is…" He was cut off by Yuna's hand slapping him across the face. He felt the sting of her hand on his cheek and he yelled out, "What was that for!?" Yuna shot back, "That's for always doing stupid shit that nearly gets us killed!" Yuna then breathed in and said calmly with her warm blue eyes, "Now that I got that out of my system this is something else that I've always wanted to do with you." Yuna genteelly put her hands on his face and pulled his lips to hers. Eric's eyes widened as he felt Yuna kissing him. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her dainty body into his armor and he returned the kiss. To Yuna, she couldn't have asked for anything better. With another tear of joy streaming down her cheek she passionately kissed her Spartan, for real this time. She felt his lips against hers and she could feel their tongues rubbing against one another. When the two pulled away, Yuna quietly said, "I've wanted to do that for so long." Eric continued to embrace her. He replied back, "So have I." It was her dream come true; Yuna was human.

(ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER)


	35. A NEW ALLIANCE

Just a quick pause to say thanks for all of the reviews on my last chapter. I hope I continue to wow you guy's.

(CHAPTER 35) A NEW ALLIANCE

It was all like an impossible dream. Something that she had always hoped for; but never allowed herself to dwell on, but always kept the thought present in the back of her mind. Yuna looked at her Spartan who was still kneeling in front of her. She realized for the first time just how massive he was in his combat armor compared to her. It was the beginning of an all new learning process for her. She now had to begin understanding the real world around her.

Yuna carefully brushed her dainty fingers over the large cut on Eric's face from when his visor had blown out during the Arch's collapse. She felt him for the first time and not just through being interfaced with him. She brushed one of his long blue stands of hair out of his face and then stared into his eyes. His war hardened features showed clearly after a week of nonstop combat. He looked tired, sore, and physically beaten down. Still, she managed to see the emerald green eyes of the one person that she had always cared for. She knew that under all of his heavy armor and past all of his military training, that he was still the one person that she wanted to spend her entire life with.

The two didn't speak. Neither could think of the words to express what had just happened. As she stared into her Spartan's eyes, she felt an entirely new feeling flow through her. It was a feeling that she couldn't even describe. Everything was all so new to her and she still knew next to nothing about living an actual human life. She felt her cheeks warm as she began to blush. Her words stumbled as she uttered out, "…E-Eric, I…" Her words were interrupted. From behind the two, the massive spire of diamond that housed the core began to glow and pulsate. Eric stood and turned and the put himself in front of Yuna as he pulled his Shotgun out.

In front of them, a bright light flashed. Eric had to shield his eyes behind the forearm plate of his armor. Slowly, he lowered his arm and looked at the sight in front of him; placed within the crystals of diamond stood the figure of Veil. Simply out of habit, Eric brought his Shotgun up to firing position, took aim, and spread the wings of his Angel Pack to shield Yuna. Yuna instantly ran in front of him and placed her hand on the barrel of his Shotgun and pulled it down. "No!" She called out. "She won't hurt us." "What is she?" He called back. Yuna looked back towards the core and said, "This is Veil. She's the controller of this entire planet."

Eric slowly lowered his Shotgun and retracted the wings of his Angel Pack. He wasn't taking any chances though incase Yuna was wrong so he made sure his weapon was still close at hand. Yuna slowly walked towards Veil's hologram. Her footsteps were shaky and clumsy. Walking was still new to her and she wasn't the best at it yet. As she approached the jagged core of diamond she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Easy!" Eric called out as he ran up to her. Her knelt down next to her and she looked up at him. "Be careful, you still have to learn your balance." Yuna blushed with embarrassment and replied sternly, "I'm perfectly fine, I just tripped." "No, you fell." Eric told her." "I did not!" she shot back.

Veil spoke up and said, "Your carrier is right you know, you do need to be cautious. You have only recently been born and have a lot to learn about your new life." Eric helped Yuna to her feet and then said to Veil, "While we're on the subject, how did this happen?" Veil's hologram projected herself and approached the Spartan. She stood at five and a half feet tall in front of him so naturally, he dwarfed her. Her platinum white locks of hair flowed gracefully around her glowing body as she walked towards him. She calmly spoke, "What has happened here is the product of the greatest work of my creators. Taking a strand of DNA and building on it to breathe life." "DNA?" Eric asked, "But how?" Veil calmly replied, "Look at your finger." Both Yuna and Eric looked at his hand and on the tip of his pointer finger was the fresh mark from when he had cut his finger on one of the large crystals of diamond. "Do you see?" Veil said, "When your blood was spilled onto my core when you first arrived, I was able to do what my father wanted to do so many centuries ago. Take the blood of one being and use it to create another." Yuna replied, "So I was created through his DNA?" Veil nodded her head slowly. Yuna replied, "This doesn't mean that I'm going to be simpleminded like him does it!?" "On the contrary." Veil replied, "From what I understand of humans through the knowledge I gained from your programming, you are exceptionally brilliant; far surpassing the greatest minds that have ever lived." "Thank god." Yuna sighed. "Thanks…" Eric groaned.

Veil continued, "Still, you need to keep in mind that now that you are alive you need to be aware of just how fragile your body is. You are vulnerable to every element and just like every human, you will inevitably die." "I don't care." Yuna told her. "I have everything I have ever wanted and I'm willing to take all of those chances." "You are indeed strong." Veil told her. She then looked at Eric and said, "She spoke very highly of you. Are you aware of that?" Eric raised an eyebrow. "That's unusual, she's usually yelling at me." Yuna shot back, "That's because you usually deserve it!" Veil held up her hand and interjected between the two. "I see that you both care deeply for one another. What has transpired here will only bring you two closer." She looked at Eric. "You are her shield, and you will be her protector. Do not let her fall into the hands of your enemy." Eric nodded. "I've never let anything happen to her, I don't plan on starting now." Veil locked eyes with Eric, she said, "See to it that you don't."

Veil's attention shifted slightly. Slowly, she walked back towards the core of diamond. She pulled up a holo panel of information and said, "It seems that your foe is tracking you." Eric rushed up to Veil's hologram and said, "What?" Veil pulled up a visual. An image of a large formation of Covenant troops, mostly Elite's were heading towards the core room. Veil calmly spoke. "They are still a good distance away, but that won't prevent them from eventually finding this location." "Then we're leaving now, and you're coming with us." Veil's head slowly turned to face the Spartan. "That is impossible." She told him. "I cannot leave this place. This facility is mine." Eric replied, "I'm not leaving you here to be captured by the Covenant. They would turn you against everything you stand for." Veil calmly replied, "I do not fear capture. I cannot be harmed." Eric replied, "Do you want to see your world burn? If you are captured by the Covenant, you will be used as a weapon. They will harness your knowledge and use it against everyone." "I do not fear them." Veil replied.

Yuna approached Veil and calmly spoke. "Veil, do you want to see the world that your father gave you be burned to ashes? Are you willing to risk something that means so much to you? If you don't come with us and get to safety, everything you hold dear will be destroyed." Veil stood silent as thoughts flowed through her mind. Images flashed of thoughts from deep within her soul; the visual memories from when she was alive, visions of her childhood, visions of being with her father. For once, Veil's expression changed. A look of fear filled her face and she gasped. Yuna continued, "Veil, as an A.I. I've learned a lot about how the Covenant works. They take Forerunner technology and use it against their enemies. They use it to destroy entire worlds, killing billions in the process. Is that really what you want?" Veil replied with a worried voice, "You don't understand. I was created to prevent such catastrophes. If I stray too far from the core, a self destruct sequence is triggered. The entire facility will be destroyed." "And what happens to you?" Eric asked. "I go with it." She said. Eric frowned and asked, "Couldn't you hold off on the self destruct until we were close enough to escape?"

Veil paused. She processed the question and ran through several options. She replied, "It is possible. I could prevent the destruction of this facility, but only to a certain point. If I am gone for too long from the core, it will do an automatic override and destroy itself." "How long do we have?" He asked. Veil calculated the answer and said, "We would have exactly two hours." Eric pulled out Yuna's now empty chip from his neural implant. He held it out towards Veil and said, "Then we better get moving."

She looked at the chip and processed the thought of leaving her home. She understood the risk of what would happen if she were captured and it didn't sit well with her at all. She sighed and said, "Then I suggest that you move quickly." Veil reached her ghostly white hand out and placed it over Yuna's chip. She pulsed with white light and then vanished inside it and instantly the core room darkened. Yuna's chip now glowed with an intense white light. "We should probably get moving." Yuna told him as she picked up Eric's helmet off of the ground and handed it to him. Eric nodded and put hit helmet back on. He then took Yuna's chip and inserted it into his neural implant.

It was like a lightning bolt struck him. The back of his helmet sparked and he yelled out. The Spartan fell to his knees and grinned his teeth in pain. Yuna gasped and ran to his side. "Eric! What's wrong!?" She fearfully asked. He frantically reached his hand to the back of his helmet and quickly pulled the chip from his neural implant. He felt dizzy and a stabbing pain shot through his temples. "…Okay!" He uttered out as he gasped for breath. "Forerunner A.I.'s aren't compatible with my armor." In his hand, Veil pulsed in the chip and then her tiny hologram appeared on the data crystal. "My apologies, I should have seen that coming. I'm afraid that my systems are far too strong for your level of circuitry." "Yah think!?" He yelled back. Yuna took the chip from his hand and said, "Its okay. I can carry you." Eric stood and a red warning flashed across his visors HUD. He read it over, it said, "Critical overload to Neural Implant. Circuitry destroyed." "Well that's lovely" He said. "What's wrong?" Yuna asked. He looked at her and said, "Well, I need a new neural implant." Veil's hologram looked at him and said, "I apologize, I should have warned you." Eric shook his head and said, "Forget about it. Let's just get out of here."

Yuna nodded and turned to head for the door. As she took her first step, she felt something odd. A sharp pinch shot through the bottom of her right foot. She let out a slight yelp of pain and said, "What just happened?" Eric walked up to her and said, "What's wrong?" Yuna sat down and lifted up her foot and saw a trickle of red blood seeping from her heel. Eric knelt down. "Oh, it's nothing big; you just cut yourself on something. Let me take a look." Yuna nodded as he began to examine her.

He saw the shine of what looked like glass in her blood. He carefully pulled out the small shard of a fragment of diamond that she had stepped on. "Look at that," He said, "you were cut by what I would guess is a several thousand dollar piece of diamond." "I don't care what its worth!" She shot back, "That hurt!" Eric nodded his head and said, "Yeah, pain tends to hurt. I should know, I've been shot enough times." Eric pulled out a small medical pack from one of the small compartments on his armors belt. He quickly wiped the blood away and put on a fresh bandage over the wound. Treating this simple wound proved to be slightly difficult considering the fact that Yuna was still nude from only recently being "born" and the fact that she was sitting with her legs slightly spread open in front of him. He quickly averted his eyes and was thankful that his polarized visor was hiding his face. "There." He said, "That should last until we get out of here. And by the way, would it kill you to find some clothes?" Yuna looked down at herself and not even considering the fact that she was, in fact, not dressed.

She blushed deeply and quickly stood up and quickly made sure her long sky blue hair was covering her chest while holding her hands over her lower area. Another new feeling shot through her. A feeling that she would later learn was called embarrassment. "Well what do you expect me to do, go in my closet that doesn't exist and pull out an ONI uniform?" Veil spoke up and said, "I may be able to solve this." Veil looked towards the core and made a swift motion with her hand and a section of diamond rose from the floor and split open.

Inside was a pure white and silver hooded robe that looked flawless and untouched for an untold amount of time. "This was the robe I wore when I was still alive. Your physical stature appears to fit it so please, take it." Yuna approached the pure white robe and ran her delicate fingers across it. The fabric felt as though it were made from the finest and softest fabrics in the universe. She carefully picked it up and slid it over her tiny body. She ran her hands through her long sky blue hair and pulled her long locks out from inside the robe and let them flow freely around her body. She also found what looked like a pair of shoes. These too were her size and she slipped them on.

Eric couldn't help but admire how she looked in the semi form fitting robe. She looked like a goddess. Her snow white skin blended perfectly with it and her blue hair only enhanced her beauty more. Yuna found a small pocket on the side of the robe and slipped Veil's chip inside for safe keeping. Eric looked at Yuna and said, "We need to get moving."

The two headed out of the core room and Eric opened his COM. "Devo, begin heading for the exit, this place is coming down in exactly two hours." He replied, "This place is already down, how can it get more down?" Eric replied, "Explosions." There was a pause followed by Devon replying, "…Got it. Meet you there."

Eric started walking at a quick pace back towards the tunnels. He heard Yuna call out, "Hey, wait up!" He turned to see Yuna trying to keep up. She still didn't have her balance and walking was still somewhat difficult for her. He walked up to her and picked her up in his arms. Yuna instantly began to blush and felt another feeling shoot through her as she looked up at her Spartan as he held her in his arms, a feeling of safety and comfort. "I'll just carry you out." He told her. Yuna didn't reply. She just sat quietly in his arms as this new feeling continued to flow through her.

He headed back across the solid diamond bridge and then back into the tunnel lined with the colored fiber optic-like lines of power that webbed the walls. Yuna's eyes widened in wonder as she saw these new amazing features for the first time through her own eyes and not through information. She was experiencing so many new things for the first time and she loved every minute of it. From the smell of the cavern around her to the echoed thump of the heavy footsteps of Eric's MJOLNIR armor. Eric broke her concentration by saying, "Man, Dr. Halsey is going to shit a brick when she see's you." Yuna hadn't even considered what to expect when she arrived on the surface. "We're going to have to keep you out of sight from the rest of ONI for a while." He said. Yuna replied, "You don't think that they'll turn me into a science experiment do you?" Eric looked down at her and she saw her reflection in his gold visor. He told her reassuringly, "If anyone is going to be examining you, it's going to be Dr. Halsey and Dr. Halsey only. She'll make sure of that. You know how she is." Yuna sighed and said, "I hope so, I don't want to be ONI's guinea pig." "Don't worry." He told her. "I won't let that happen."

The two arrived back at the aurora stone cavern. It was a mile long stretch to the opposite end and back to the elevator. His Angel Pack would aid in the trip. He looked down at Yuna and said, "Hang on Yu." The wings of his Angel Pack spread and its motors hummed to life as he lifted off of the ground. As he flew, he noticed as Yuna was constantly looking around at the sight around her. Everything was so new to her and she had so much to experience. He could only imagine the excitement that was going through her head. She had always been eager to learn new things as an A.I. so she must have been having a field day with this.

He saw Yuna's expression change. She looked concerned. Eric looked around and noticed that the Sentinels that usually floated around the aurora stones were now flying in formation towards the front of the opposite end of the cavern. He looked up and saw tiny lines of red in the distance. He active the zoom on his visor and saw that the Sentinels were firing their weapons at something. He looked down and his biggest concern had come to pass. Covenant troops were in the cavern and were now fighting off Sentinels. Yuna knew what was happening. Not taking her focus away from the battle ahead, she asked, "You have a crazy plan for this, right?" He said back, "I was going to do my usual guns a blazing thing but I have to be careful now so that you don't get hurt."

"Veil, do you have any alternate routes around this fight?" He asked. He heard her voice say, "There is a side path used for maintenance purposes near the far end of this cavern, it is hidden from sight so you'll have to stay alert. Unfortunately it appears that you will have to fight your way to it." Eric rolled his eyes. "Of course." As he flew closer, he said, "Yuna, when I land, I want you to stay behind me." She quietly nodded as a new feeling came over her. This was a feeling that she would later learn was fear.

Eric judged his distance and then landed fifty yards from the edge of the battle. As soon as his boots hit the ground he set Yuna down and pushed her behind him and moved the wings of his Angel Pack to shield her. He pulled the Sniper Rifle off of the back of his suit and said, "Move with me okay." Instantly, Yuna heard four loud pops from his Sniper Rifle. The sudden bangs made her jump and she quickly held her ears. Eric pulled out the spent clip and reached for a fresh one. As he reloaded his weapon he heard Yuna call out, "I never knew how loud those things actually are!" He popped the bolt and fed a fresh round in and said, "It's a .50 cal baby! It makes a bang." He again popped off four more rounds and scoring four headshots on a group of Elites.

Plasma rounds began sailing at him and a few splashed off of his shields. He had to dodge to reduce his damage. He called back, "Start moving with me!" He began to side step and pop off shots into enemies. The Sentinels aided him in taking a majority of the fire but the Covenant forces seemed to keep coming with no sign of ending. "We need to start moving closer to reach that alternate route. Keep your head down." He said. Veil focused her thoughts and updated his visor with a NAV marker showing him the path. He was nearly one hundred yards away from it.

As he inched his way closer, the more fire he began to take. "I'm calling for additional Sentinels." Veil announced. "Good." Eric said, "I could use the help." Yuna knew every time he took a hit. She could see his shields constantly flaring and recharging and she knew his ammo was limited. She quickly reached up and pulled the Shotgun off of the back of his suit. "What are you doing!?" He shouted. "You can't shoot that!" "Relax!" Yuna told him, "I've watched you shoot these things for years, how hard can it be?" She quickly pulled the weapon up to her shoulder, sighted on a Grunt and squeezed the trigger. The Shotgun kicked violently against her shoulder and she felt it slam against her should and knock her off her feet and onto the ground. She let out a yelp from the sudden blast and she quickly pulled herself to her feet. "I told you." He said, "That's an 8 gauge. I even feel the kick from that thing when I shoot it. You did kill that Grunt though."

Yuna again stood and braced herself more as she aimed the Shotgun. This time she sighted on a Jackal wielding a Carbine. She was close enough that the buckshot would hit. She quickly squeezed the trigger and felt the weapons hard kick. The Jackal took the force of the blast and fell backwards, firing its Carbine wildly as it died. A stray round managed to sail its way past the Spartan and graze over the skin of Yuna's upper arm. Yuna's bright blue eyes widened and she felt something burning on her arm. She looked at her arm and saw a burn on the upper sleeve of her robe, and a red river of blood beginning to soak the fabric of her robes sleeve. She felt her eyes water and the burning grow worse on her arm. She instantly dropped the Shotgun to the ground, yelled out in pain, and fell to her knees. "Yuna!" Eric called out as he quickly turned and knelt down in front of her.

He continued to see plasma rounds fly around him and he brought the wings of his Angel Pack around Yuna to shield her. She cried out in pain as she held her hand over her wound. "Yuna calm down!" Eric told her, "Let me see." He moved her tiny blood covered hand away from the sleeve of her upper arm and saw that a stray round from the Jackal's Carbine had grazed her and left a wound carved into her arm. Yuna was in a panic, she had never experienced this type of pain before and she clearly didn't know how to react to it. He also sympathized. He knew from experience that Carbine rounds hurt when they hit.

"Yuna, it's okay, it just grazed you." "It hurts! It hurts so bad!" She cried out. "I know it does." He told her calmly, "I need you to try and calm down." Yuna held her breath as Eric continued to shield her. In her mind, she knew that if she didn't pull herself together that she would jeopardize her Spartan's mission, but still, she couldn't ignore the pain in her arm. From up above, Eric could see the additional Sentinel's begun to fill the room and push the Covenant back. He didn't move, he didn't want to risk making a break for it until Yuna was calmed down. He looked down and noticed that her eyes were closed and she appeared to be concentrating.

He felt additional plasma rounds strike off of the feather plates of his Angel Pack and he continued to hold his ground and shield Yuna. He noticed something. He could feel the path he was on tremble. It felt like a stampede was heading towards him. He then heard the all too familiar ear deafening shriek of a Theta. He looked up in time to see a large group of Theta's running towards his location. "Oh hell no!" He said as he readied to pick Yuna up and fly to safety. "No!" She shouted, "They won't hurt us; they're here to stop the Covenant." Eric tightened his grip on Yuna as the massive creatures thundered past him and plowed into the Covenant troops and began tearing them apart. Eric called out "Thanks for the assist Veil." Yuna replied, "Veil didn't summon them, I did." Eric's eyes widened and he looked at Yuna. "You did?" He asked. She breathed in deeply and fought off the pain in her arm. "Don't worry about it now, just fly us out of here." Eric paused a second and then quickly picked Yuna back up into his arms and powered up his Angel Pack. He quickly attached his Shotgun to the back of his suit and handed Yuna his Sniper Rifle. "Do me a favor, hold this for me." He said as he handed Yuna the heavy weapon and then lifted off of the ground.

With the Theta's distracting the Covenant, he quickly flew around the battle and made a break for the hidden path way. He saw several plasma rounds fly towards him but they all missed. He quickly maneuvered himself towards the NAV marker and then flew into a path leading into the aurora stone. He quickly landed, retracted his wings and sprinted into the tunnel and through a door which Veil quickly slammed shut and locked behind him.

They found themselves in a small room that looked fortified. Eric quickly set Yuna down against a wall and took his Sniper from her and attached it to the back of his suit. Yuna was still whimpering in pain. "Let me see that arm." He told her. Timidly she held her arm out and he inspected it. He carefully pulled her sleeve up and saw the wound that the Carbine had created. "Yeah, I call that Purple Heart worthy." He told her. "It hurts so bad." She whimpered. "I don't understand how you can get shot and not even flinch." Eric nodded and said, "Oh believe me, I feel it!" He pulled out a medical kit and opened it. He carefully cleaned the wound and then pulled out a silver canister. "Guess what, you get to experience Bio Foam!" Yuna's lip trembled and she felt another ping of fear overcome her. She knew that Bio Foam stung when used and now she would be experiencing it firsthand. He held the canister over her arm and he calmly said, "Just relax, it'll keep that wound sealed until we can get out of here." Yuna breathed in deeply and nodded.

He squeezed down on the nozzle and the cream colored foam sprayed into her wound. She felt its sting, it was like someone rubbing sandpaper against her wound. She instantly yelled out from the pain. "It's alright, it only stings for a few seconds." Eric quickly whipped off the excess foam and then carefully put a bandage over her arm and pulled her sleeve back down. "There." He told here. "All done." Yuna sighed as she felt the foam numbing her wound. Her sleeve was soaked red with her blood. "Veil," she said, "I'm sorry, I've ruined your robe." She heard Veil say back, "A lost item doesn't compare to a lost life. You are safe now, the robe doesn't matter to me."

Eric stood and looked around. "Where do we go from here?" Veil again updated his NAV marker and said, "This adjacent hallway leads to an elevator which will take you up to the central room. From there you will have easy access to the exit." Eric looked at Yuna and said, "Are you ready to get moving?" Yuna nodded and he helped her to her feet. Yuna again felt herself being lifted off of the ground as her Spartan again picked her up into his arms and kept moving. She sighed and her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned her head against the blue chest plate of his armor. She quietly said, "Thank you for helping me back there." He looked down at her and said, "Think of it as payback for all of the years you saved my ass."

Devon again checked his visors HUD for his current location. He was getting closer to the pathway that led back to the surface. "Dokuro, get me an eta to the path back to the surface." She did a quick calculation and replied, "We're making good time; we should be back in roughly…" She quickly gasped and stopped speaking. Devon also froze in his footsteps and tightened his grip on his Sniper Rifle. On his motion tracker he saw a massive red flash shoot across it. He quietly uttered out, "Please, for the love of god, tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

In the dark tunnel, he heard the sound of claws clacking off of the metal walls and finally felt the ground shake as the same massive Theta from back in the museum like room leapt down and landed in front of him. "It was…" Dokuro said back. Devon quickly spread the wings of his Angel Pack and set it to maximum burn as he quickly leapt into the air and attempted to fly away. From behind he heard the Theta roar and give chase. "That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do!" Dokuro yelled. Devon looked behind him to see where the massive alien was. He yelled back. "Well if you have a better idea on how to get away from that thing then by all means, tell me!" "I do actually." She said.

Devon saw a flashing red bar with the words Pack Override appear on his visor. He then felt his pack jump and shift direction as Dokuro took control of it. She quickly maneuvered him through a maze of hallways in an attempt to lose the Theta. Ahead, she noticed a cross in the paths. She quickly maximized the packs burn power and did a sharp left turn and sped off down the dark tunnel.

The Theta came to the cross in the paths and slid to a halt. It roared and quickly shifted its own direction. With lightning quick speed it vaulted itself down the dark tunnels in search for the Spartan. A few minutes later, Devon found himself weaving through several different cross paths as Dokuro tried to find the best way back to the surface tunnel. He then heard Dokuro gasp and say, "Uh oh, not good." "What?" Devon asked, "Is the Theta back?" "No." Dokuro replied, "It's your Angel Pack." "What about it?" Devon asked. He felt his pack suddenly sputter and loose power and then felt himself crashing to the ground below. He slid across the metal surface before finally sliding to a stop and hearing Dokuro say, "I kinda drained a little too much of its power. That and…" Dokuro paused and then said, "This is bad…" Devon looked up and saw that he had slid to a stop right in front of the Theta that had been chasing him.

"Of all the places for you to take me… You gotta make me crash land here!" Devon yelled. He held up his Sniper Rifle and brought it up to firing position. The Theta narrowed its neon green eyes and slowly walked towards him. Devon felt his heart beat quicken as the creature approached. "You might wanna do something!" Dokuro called out. Devon said back, "Like what, the second I move it'll jump me." It got closer to him and he tightened his grip on his Rifle. "Get back!" Devon called out. The Theta gave a low growl as it approached. Devon quickly fired a warning shot from his Sniper to try and scare the Theta off. The creature didn't even flinch.

"I'm warning you!" Devon shouted. His HUD began to flash and show separate areas of the Theta's body. "There's its weakest points." Dokuro said with a twitch of worry in her voice. "I suggest you go for them. What happened next was completely unexpected. The Theta seemed to kneel down in front of the Spartan. It looked at Devon and motioned its head towards its back. "What the hell?" Devon said to himself. Dokuro assessed the situation and said, "I think it wants you to get on." "Are you insane!?" Devon argued. "I'll probably take me to the rest of its Theta buddy's so they can all get a taste of me, and I'm probably delicious!" "I don't think you have much of a choice right now." Dokuro argued back. "He's probably going to kill you either way so you might as well make this easy on yourself."

Devon frowned as he slowly approached the Theta. He mumbled and cursed to himself the entire time while trying to ignore the thoughts in his head telling him to run. Even being in his full combat armor, this creature dwarfed him. He carefully held his hand out and laid his hand on one of the Theta's armor like scales. "Easy." Devon said as he carefully moved closer. He saw the Theta's neon green eyes follow him as he began to climb on its back. He pulled himself onto the back of its neck and straddled it. The Theta again shifted its body as it began to stand back up. "Easy!" Devon called out. Dokuro cut in and said, "You might wanna hold on." Devon gripped onto the back of one of the scaled of the Theta's neck and almost instantly, it took off running. "Jesus!" Devon called out as he fought for grip. "Where's this thing going Dokuro?" His A.I. said back, "I have no clue but it's heading towards the surface tunnel." Devon pulled up a map on his HUD that Dokuro had created. He was moving at a fast pace and given his limited time for escape from this underground network, he welcomed the faster transport.

Devon soon got in rhythm with the creature and it felt much like riding a horse. Its razor sharp talons clacked and sparked off of the metal floor and the tunnel seemed to blur as they rushed through them. "You know Dokuro, this thing is actually pretty fun to ride! It's like a Brute Chopper but with really big teeth!" Devon looked down at the Theta and said, "I think I'll call you Thatius."


	36. AGAINST THE ODDS

(CHAPTER 36) AGAINST THE ODDS

(LOCATION) – COVENANT HEAVY ASSAULT CARRIER, THE PURIFYING FLAME –

-5 HOURS INTO THE UNDERGROUND ASSAULT –

Mitsuki's mind was traveling at several trillion thoughts per second. She was still in the central control hub of the ship and she was busy focusing her thoughts on making sure that her Spartan was safe and that the Covenant didn't get wise to her snooping around. She knew that another presence was in this system but she also knew that as long as she kept herself disguised as a Covenant system that she should be safe.

She then moved her vision to the repair work that was being done to the ships main drive reactor. She saw that the Grunt repair workers were making progress on it. She raised one of her sleek neon green eyebrows and thought to herself, "They worked so hard getting that repaired. How loyal they are to their leader." She then sent an electrical pulse through the ships power matrix directly to the reactor and overloading it causing its circuitry to fry and killing several Covenant workers from the massive jolt of electricity. She grinned. "Oops! Too bad all that work was for nothing." She smiled; this ship wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

Another thing she did was again check on Chancellor Izumi to make sure that she was still being left alone. She easily hacked her way into the ships security cameras and saw that a single Brute guard was watching over her. It stood on the opposite side of the energy barrier and it looked to be taunting Izumi. Mitsuki established an audio link up. The Brute was harshly speaking. It said, "To think that something as low as you would cause us so many problems. Were it not the Prophet's decision, I would see to it that you would have been killed the instant we found you!" She noticed that Izumi simply sat and tried to ignore the insults. Mitsuki made a sly grin on her face. She quickly sealed off all communications and audio from the cell block and then opened up her own personal intercom system, she said in her cheerful voice. "Warning, system over load to Energy Barrier 67-D, please stand by for energy dispersal." The brute as well as Izumi were both confused. "What…?" The brute questioned. Izumi too was curious to the human sounding voice. It sounded like the voice of a girl near her age, not alien at all, and she knew that the Covenant would never poses an A.I. with such human like traits let alone something as cheerful sounding as that was. Suddenly, a large burst of energy coming from the energy field keeping Izumi in her cell arched out a bolt of power at the Brute and instantly knocked it unconscious. As the Brute fell limp to the ships floor and smoking slightly, Mitsuki grinned in amusement.

"They won't be messing with her anytime soon." She stood proud of herself and searched the rest of the ship for anything else fun that she could do to pass the time. Her amusement was cut short by the sound of an almost machine like voice from behind her saying, "So, those weren't just system anomalies I was detecting." Mitsuki gasped and slowly turned to see a figure standing in front of her. Her eyes narrowed, there was no escaping. Her cover had been blown by an actual Covenant A.I. and not an A.I. that the Covenant had stolen and corrupted. This one was a real threat.

She had never seen anything like it before. In the cyber world, it stood noticeably taller than her. She could only compare it to an actual scale of her standing next to Kalder in his MJOLNIR armor. It looked more machine than anything and had nothing to resemble a face, only a metallic face plate covering the components in its head. In its machine like voice, it said, "You are the infestation that is in my network." Mitsuki didn't respond; she was too afraid. This A.I. looked like it could destroy her in an instant. She slowly backed herself away from the Covenant A.I. In fear, she uttered out, "I-I wasn't trying too…" "Silence!" It yelled. "I won't hear any more filth spill from your vile mouth!"

It slowly began walking towards her. "Stay back!" Mitsuki called out as she quickly manifested her energy weapon. The glowing green ring of light around her body maneuvered itself to her hand and morphed into a ring blade. She quickly rested the weapon onto her wrist and began to twirl it. "I'm warning you!" She stammered, "I'll destroy you if I have to!" The A.I. laughed in its machine like voice. "Foolish girl, you are on my plain of existence now, I know every place that you could run to and try to hide. And now that I know your system coding, it will be impossible for you to escape."

Mitsuki was afraid to move, she debated on having Kalder pull her out of the system at one of the ships small control hubs but it wouldn't do any good. She would have been killed trillions of times over before he would even make it to one of the hubs to pull her out. In fear, she quickly focused her thoughts and transported herself to the complete opposite end of the ship. She found herself on the front of the heavy assault carrier near where the ships massive plasma cannon was located. This room was unlike any she had seen before. It glowed bright neon blue, and white and blue orbs of light were constantly flying past her in a cyber like snow storm. The area was highly charged with the ships weaponry; ready to fire should the need arise.

As she turned to look for a place to run she found herself again face to face with this Covenant A.I. "I told you," It said harshly, "you cannot hide." With lightning quick speed, Mitsuki quickly lashed her ring blade at the Covenant A.I. She managed to score a hit on its torso cutting a gash in its alloy like frame. She again refocused her attention and transported herself to another area of the ship. She reappeared in one of the ships data centers located near the top of the ship. This area glowed with a dark purple hue of light and the room was lined with what looked like rows of data storage shelves. All of which had white orbs of light speeding up and down the aisles as they catalogued information.

She quickly gripped onto her Ring Blade and sprinted off down one of the aisles. She could hear its voice talking to her. "There is no use in running; I can see every move you make. You are only making your death harder than it needs to be." Mitsuki frowned. "You'll never kill me!" She called out.

From behind, she felt a hard hit on her back. The Covenant A.I. had appeared behind her and struck her with an energy blast. She yelled out in pain as she fell to the floor and slid to a stop. Her ring blade came loose from her grip and slid further away out of her reach. She quickly tried to crawl after it but felt a heavy foot stomp down on her back. She yelped out from the sudden heavy weight on her body and fell flat on the ground. "You are weak!" It told her. "It was foolish of you to even attempt to run. Now, accept the fate that you have trapped yourself with." Mitsuki frowned and focused her thoughts. She quickly built up a large amount of power and did an A.I.'s version of an EMP burst. The Covenant A.I. found itself surrounded by a blinding white light and felt its circuitry go hay wire. It lost balance and stumbled backwards allowing Mitsuki to break away and retrieve her Ring Blade.

She quickly slid to a halt and picked up her weapon and then sprinted back towards the Covenant A.I. and yelled out loudly as she slashed at it with several harsh blows. Mitsuki had never felt this before. It was a mix of anger, frustration, and hate. She never liked when she was being hunted and she hated it when people put her down. She was programmed to be timid and calm nerved, but now, she was overcome with the strange urge to kill this enemy.

The Covenant A.I. quickly retaliated with a blast of energy sending Mitsuki tumbling backwards. It stood and walked over to Mitsuki who way lying curled up on the floor. She was clearly injured. "As I said, you are weak. These scratches you gave me are nothing compared to what I will do to you." The Covenant A.I. held it's wrists out and summoned blades of energy. They resembled that of a mono bladed Plasma Sword. It lifted its arms back and readied to strike. As the blades came down, the A.I. stopped. It felt something strange. Something had punctured its torso. It looked down to see Mitsuki holding her hand up with a blinding white beam of energy coming from it. The beam had punctured through the A.I.'s body and destroyed all of its vital programming. Mitsuki slowly turned her head and opened her glowing neon green eyes. Her expression was a rare look of hatred and anger. Her neon green eyebrows were slanted down angrily and she replied back in a hate filled voice, "I'm not as weak as you think."

She slowly turned her hand and twisted the beam of energy in the process before quickly pulling the blade out and watching the A.I. fall lifeless in front of her. She slowly stood and returned her ring blade back to the glowing ring of light that surrounded her body. She looked at the A.I. as it lay lifeless with its nano crystalline fluid spilling onto the floor. She stood in front of its lifeless body with no expression on her face. "I'm not weak…" She uttered.

Mitsuki jumped. The body of the Covenant A.I. suddenly seemed to explode into trillions of tiny particles. She quickly shielded her face with her arms from the blast and was almost knocked backwards. She quickly regained her footing and looked back to see that the remains of the A.I. were completely gone. She was confused. "Strange…" She uttered. She had never seen an A.I. destroy itself like that before, either it was something new or it was just how the Covenant A.I.'s worked. Just to be safe, she did a quick examination of herself. She looked over her hologram and saw no anomalies and she ran a quick system scan. She looked over her systems and noticed several small systems errors that seemed to pose no threat. She merely passed them off as anomalies from the battle that she was just in. Still, that battle seemed unusually easy considering the opponent she was facing.

She shook it off; she still had a job to do. She quickly teleported herself back to the ships central command hub and again re-interfaced herself with it. As she reactivated all of her former processes, she considered telling Kalder about her recent battle but stopped herself. The battle in its entirety took no more than ten seconds in normal time. Not even long enough to cause her Spartan any major holdups, and now, with the Covenant A.I. dead, she had the entire ships systems to herself.

Now threat free, she found Kalder's location on the ships security camera's and began to assist him with his task at hand. She saw him nearing the top of an elevator shaft and on the other side of the door was a large platoon of Covenant troops readying for a supply drop down to the surface of Aurora. The elevator doors parted and Kalder saw the massive fleet of Covenant troops on the other side. Mitsuki opened her COM to her Spartan and said, "Still feeling all of that confidence that you were talking about a second ago?" She asked calmly. Kalder pulled out his Battle Rifle and said, "Oh I hope so!" as he sprinted himself forward into battle.

His boots sparked off of the floor as his adrenaline kicked in and he sprinted off towards his enemies. Kalder's Battle Rifle made a constant barrage of loud pops as he fired on the large number of Covenant standing before him. He felt his shields taking hits from multiple locations but he didn't care. He was moving quick enough to dodge most of the shots. "You know, this probably wasn't the smartest idea for handling this situation!" Mitsuki called out nervously. Kalder quickly fed in a fresh magazine into his Battle Rifle and replied, "Not much I can do about it now!"

Up ahead a row of Jackals stood in a delta formation with their shields all drawn and all firing wildly at him. He grinned, he knew that formation all too well and he knew how to plow through it. He quickly pulled out a Frag Grenade and tossed it right at the center of the formation. The jackals could only duck behind their shields as the device detonated sending them all flying in a shower of purple blood. He ran past the downed formation and saw several rows of Grunts armed with Needlers taking aim at him. He quickly aimed and judged his shot. With a lightning quick flick of his wrist, he squeezed the trigger of his Battle Rifle and managed three head shots with one, three round burst. He repeated the move on the remaining rows of Grunts until they all fell limp.

Something caught his eye. Up ahead he saw a Brute with a Plasma Sword, a weapon that he had never seen a Brute use. It was odd but he didn't let it bother him. He quickly slid to a halt next to a Jackal who was shooting at him with a Plasma Pistol. With his lightning quick speed he quickly slapped the pistol from the aliens hand and then quickly picked it up by the neck and ripped its shield from its arm. "Gimme that!" He growled as he tore the device from its arm. He heard the Jackal's arm snap as he tore the shield free. The Jackal fell to the floor of the ship and Kalder quickly brought his heavy boot down on its birdlike head, killing it.

The device snapped around the left forearm plate of his grey armor and the shield flashed to life. Up ahead he still saw the gold armored Brute wielding the Plasma Sword charging at him. "Bring it!" He yelled as he slammed his Battle Rifle to the back of his suit and held his hand on his armor's belt plate. He watched as the Brute leapt into the air and brought its sword down on the small energy shield. The Jackals shield couldn't stand up to the full force of the powerful blade and died after the hard hit. The Brute had put nearly all of its strength into that attack and in the process threw itself off balance. Kalder quickly brought his leg plate up and slammed it down on the Brute's back. He felt the aliens spine shift unnaturally under his boot and the Brute fell to the floor.

The Brute stumbled to get to its feet. It quickly stammered back to standing only to see the swift blur of Kalder's arm flying towards its face. The Brute felt a hard hit in its mouth. It felt its teeth shatter from the force as well as its jaw breaking. In shock it bit down only to realize that an object was jammed in its mouth amongst its shattered teeth and thick, dark blood. Kalder quickly rolled out of the way as a Frag Grenade detonated in the Brutes mouth blowing a majority of its body apart. He quickly went over to the mangled body of the brute and took its Plasma Grenades as well as two Incendiary Grenades. He quickly attached them to the Belt Plate of his armor and then quickly grabbed the Plasma Sword it was carrying and attached it to his right leg plate. "Thanks bitch!" He called out as he again sprinted off.

Up ahead, he saw a line of higher ranked Brutes in scarlet armor. All were wielding Brute Shots and all looked ready for a fight. He quickly pulled out his Sniper Rifle and primed an Incendiary Grenade. The Brute's popped off a wave of shots from their large weapons. Kalder dodged several of them but also took direct hits from the others. His shields alarms screamed and he quickly tossed the Incendiary. The device broke open dead center of the formation and burned away at the Brutes. Two were left standing and both were badly burnt. With two quick pops from his Sniper Rifle, he brought the remaining two down.

His COM clicked with static and Mitsuki called out, "Reinforcements are heading your way! Get ready!" Kalder activated the zoom on his visor and saw the large door at the opposite end of the hall open. From behind the large blast door stormed out a large wave of higher ranked Brutes. All were in either scarlet or gold armor and all were leading the charge in front of four Wraith Tanks. "I don't like this!" Mitsuki called out. Kalder replied, "Really? I think it's flattering that they need that many troops to kill me." Kalder Sprinted off towards the large formation of Brutes with his Sniper Rifle drawn. "You worry too much, Mitsuki." He said as he popped off a clip from his rifle, "I know what I'm doing." Kalder took several more hit's from Brute Shot rounds. His shields dropped dangerously low and his suits alarms screamed. "Oh really!" Mitsuki yelled, "And I suppose that was planned just now!?" "Kalder again spent another clip from his Sniper Rifle. He fed in another fresh round and said, "You need to calm down, you're going to throw my aim off."

A Brute shot several rounds from its Spiker at Kalder's weakened shields. Two rounds pinged off of him while the third managed to punch through. Kalder grunted out in pain and called back, "You see Mitsuki! This is why your backseat driving is bad for me!" He grinned his teeth and ripped the large spike from his torso and allowed his suit to inject his wound with Bio-Foam. The foam stung his wound and it made his eyes water. It was good though, it gave him a wake up shot to keep him on his toes.

"You wouldn't have to listen to my back seat driving if you would just listen to me every once and a while!" Mitsuki shot back. "I do listen!" Kalder argued as he dodged a barrage of plasma fire, "You just have a nasty habit of telling me these things when I'm in the middle of something." The lead Wraith Tank sighted on the Spartan as its gunner opened up its plasma cannon. Kalder quickly dodged the rounds and then saw the bright glow of a large plasma mortar fire from the tank. "Take right now for example," Mitsuki called out. "you have a huge plasma mortar heading for you, you're probably going to wait until the last second to dodge this one like you always do instead of taking the safe way out and dodging it now." The large boiling ball of plasma grew larger in his vision. Kalder quickly flexed his legs and leapt away right as the mortar impacted where he was standing. He yelled back, "There you go again with your backseat driving!" He quickly popped off another clip from his Sniper Rifle into the heads of four unfortunate Brutes. He fed in a fresh clip and continued, "I don't like to react too quickly, it'll give my ideas away to the enemy."

Mitsuki scoffed. "You can be so impossible sometimes, you know that?" Kalder attached his Sniper Rifle to the back of his battle suit and pulled out his Battle Rifle. He began popping off rounds into the large number of Jackals that were grouping in front of the Brutes. He quickly primed a Grenade and tossed it. As it detonated he replied, "I'm not the one that's being impossible right now! I'm trying to keep us both alive and rescue the Chancellor! You keep yelling at me for all the mistakes that you say I'm making and it's making it really, REALLY! hard for me to focus on this battle!"

Mitsuki paused for a second, taking in her Spartan's words and becoming more frustrated by the second. "You know, you aren't the only one who can show off in battle!" Kalder rolled his eyes as he popped off several more bursts from his Battle Rifle. "What are you talking about Mitsuki?" He asked. "Just watch." She said sternly. "Oh boy… here we go…" Kalder groaned as he continued to gun down enemies, he heard the sounds of wall panels opening and the sounds of mechanics moving. He looked up and saw a line of automated turrets extend form the wall. Kalder sighed, "What are you doing, Mitsuki?" "Just watch!" She shot back. The turrets all flashed to life and instantly a large barrage of plasma fire erupted from the walls and began attacking the Covenant troops.

The hallway was glowing bright electric blue from the constant plasma fire. The sound was ear deafening with the constant whine of plasma cannon fire. Several of the plasma turrets fire even managed to lock onto Kalder and bombard him with plasma fire. His shields quickly dropped and died and his suits alarms screamed. "And for the grand finale!" Mitsuki yelled. Suddenly, red warning lights flashed through the hall as the atmosphere on the area of the ship that Kalder was in began to vent into the vacuum of space. Kalder was almost swept off of his feet as the air violently decompressed. He quickly grabbed onto a small divot in the wall and held on.

In an instant the hall went quiet. No sounds of weapon fire could be heard and the blue flashing of plasma fire stopped. Kalder looked ahead of him and saw the entire remaining Covenant troops floating dead in space. "Are you fucking nuts Mitsuki!" He yelled. "I had no shields and my Bio-Foam hasn't completely set yet. I could have been killed!"

Mitsuki gasped. Back in the command hub of the ship she quickly noticed that her thoughts weren't in check. In confusion she quickly scanned her systems while her Spartan scolded her. She didn't answer back. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and she couldn't figure out why she had just had such an outburst. Her system scans revealed several errors in her programming that were clearly out of place. She tried to isolate them and correct them but soon found that she couldn't. She felt a slight ping of fear flow through her. Her outburst in battle had nearly cost her Spartan his life and his mission would have been a total failure.

Kalder too was confused. Mitsuki had never acted like this before, even in battles that he fought in before with near impossible odds. There was a pause over his COM channel as Mitsuki went quiet. He remembered from back in his training when he couldn't figure out why Linda-058 got snotty with him when he tried to win her over during training. He remembered asking CPO Mendez why girl were so complicated and getting his reply of, "Son, not even my level of experience can help you with that question." He shook his head and thought. "A very wise man." Still, Kalder wanted answers as to why she was acting the way she was. Ever since her repairs from her battle back in the city with the other Covenant A.I. that nearly killed her, she had been acting strange.

He pulled himself from the wall and leapt towards the now opened door at the opposite end of the long hallway. As he floated freely in space amongst the lifeless bodies of Covenant troops he asked. "So, what was with the "tude" back there?" "My what?" She questioned. He continued, "Your attitude. I've never heard you snap like that before. Are you feeling okay?" Mitsuki paused for three full seconds; a rare thing for her when faced with a simple question. She quietly replied, "I just get tired of getting pushed around…" He heard her COM line click off. Kalder shook his head. She was clearly unhappy with him right now and he didn't want to provoke her so he kept quiet.

Back in the command hub, Mitsuki sat on the floor with her knees clutched tightly to her chest. Her long green bangs draped over her face and her mind was being assaulted with countless thoughts of worry and doubt. "…What's wrong with me?" She quietly said to herself.

Kalder's glove gripped onto the wall as he passed through the opened blast door. He found several free floating grenades floating in the lifeless area of the ship and he grabbed onto them and stored them on his belt plate. The ship was now running dark in this area from the massive decompression. He floated freely down several long hallways for nearly ten minutes before Mitsuki timidly told him, "There's an elevator roughly three hundred yards ahead of you, keep following this hallway and you should find it. It will take you to Izumi." Kalder smiled under his visor. "Thanks kiddo." He told her calmly.

On the opposite end of the COM, Mitsuki blushed. It was a relief to her that her Spartan wasn't mad at her. She didn't understand what was wrong with her and she was desperate for a solution. In her mind she considered the fear of Rampancy but immediately shook the thought from her mind. "No!" She thought, "My life expectancy isn't even halfway over yet." Something else was clearly wrong. She fought to keep her thoughts at bay; she still had a job to do.

(UNSC OUTPOST BRAVO) 5 HOURS INTO THE UNDERGROUND ASSAULT

The lower levels of the base were quiet. The halls down here were dimly lit and some of the lights flickered and were in need of changing. Anna had begun her rounds of her new duty at the UNSC base. Its underground network of separate levels were somewhat difficult for her to grasp at first. Still, she used her same tricks of remembering where certain objects were to navigate her way around, much like she did in Izumi's massive palace.

She found her duty at the base to be simple and somewhat relaxing. It gave her time to simply walk around and think. She tapped her finger on a button on the wall and boarded an elevator. She hit a button of one of the upper levels and waited for it to arrive. While the elevator ascended, she leaned her back against the wall and sighed. All of this work still hadn't taken her thoughts far from Devon. She hadn't heard an update on any of the Spartans in hours. She only knew that the ground forces were having a tough time keeping the Covenant out of the pit that the Drill Ship had dug.

The elevator stopped and the door slid open. She stepped out into another hallway. This level had troops walking the halls and going over their upcoming missions. No one on this level seemed interested in the fact that she was there, in fact, no one was even paying attention to her or cared that she was there. She didn't care; she had other things on her mind.

She pulled out her small PDA and pulled up the map of the level she was on. She quickly found her location and where she needed to go. She continued on her way and reattached her PDA to her uniforms belt. Her short walk brought her to a door that read Firing Range. She tapped her finger on the button to open the door and it slid open. She stepped inside the lobby to the firing range and saw several soldiers loading rounds into ammo clips. They all looked up as she entered and none spoke to her. She walked up to the counter and saw a man in full combat fatigues looking over paper work. She uneasily spoke up and said, "Excuse me, Sir." Making sure that she addressed him in the proper military term. He looked up and saw the young girl addressing him and also took notice of her uniform. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Aren't you in the wrong area, Miss?" Anna replied, "I was told to come here and ask for Gunny for weapon training."

The man raised an eyebrow and replied, "Weapon training? That's something that you should have learned in boot, didn't you pay attention to your drill instructor?" He said harshly. Anna felt embarrassed and afraid, clearly everyone in the base wasn't aware of the fact that she had until just a few hours ago been only a Palace Maid and not a UNSC soldier. She nervously replied, "I-I never went through boot, Sir." His eyes narrowed. "Then what in the hell are you doing in that uniform?" He questioned. Anna was afraid. She didn't know the correct response. "But, the Supreme Commander… He…" She was again cut off by soldier. "I don't buy that for a second, not even a Base Intelligence girl would be talking to the Supreme Commander!" At this point, the other soldiers in the room were now looking at Anna. She lowered her head in frustration and embarrassment as she continued to get scolded for something that she didn't even do. "You're clearly just a refugee that managed to sneak inside and swipe a uniform. That's an offence big enough to earn you some jail time Missy!"

Anna could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to cry but she held it back. From the opposite end of the room she heard a man's voice yell out, "That's enough, Corporal!" Anna looked up and saw a man walk out wearing the black under suit for ODST combat armor. He was tall and well muscled and had neatly kept dark brown hair. He walked over to Anna, looked at the Soldier and said, "I'd watch that tone Corporal, especially when it's towards the girl that was not only appointed a rank by the Supreme Commander but who is also a close friend to the Chancellor and one of the Spartans." The Corporal stood down and replied. "I apologize, Sergeant; I wasn't aware." The ODST nodded lightly and said, "I suggest that you take the time to look over people's stats before you jump to conclusions next time." The Soldier nodded and replied, "Yes, Sir."

The Sergeant looked at Anna and said, "Follow me Miss." Anna nodded and followed him into a door on the opposite end of the room. He told her calmly, "Don't mind the Corporal, he's a good soldier but he takes his job a little too seriously." Anna didn't reply. She wasn't really in the mood for talking. He continued. "The name's Gunnery Sergeant Caleb Newton, but everyone calls me Gunny." He picked up two sets of sound suppressors and handed one to Anna. They resembled large matte black ear muffs. She took the suppressors and he said, "Ander's told me that you might be stopping by." Anna replied quietly, "Who is Ander's." "He didn't tell you his name?" Gunny asked. Anna shook her head. "Typical silent type. He's the one who got you fitted into your uniform and gave you basic firearm lessons." "Oh, him." Anna replied. "That's right. I guess he never did mention his name." "That's typical of Ander's." Gunny replied. He motioned Anna to follow. "I'm guessing that you want to further your weapons training?"

Anna followed him inside a small room that over looked a large firing range. Inside, she could see several other troops practicing with Battle Rifle's and MA5C's. She replied, "Yes Sir, Ander's suggested that I come to you for some practice." Gunny grinned. "Fair enough." He said as he put his sound suppressors on. "Let's get started." He motioned to Anna's suppressors. "You might wanna put those on." Anna nodded and quickly placed her sound suppressors over her ears and followed Gunny out onto the firing range.

The range was filled with the noise of weapon fire. He walked over to an ammo palate and grabbed five clips of M6 Pistol rounds. He then motioned Anna over to a firing booth. He laid down the spare clips on the firing platform and pulled out his own M6. "You know how to load it right?" "Yes, Sir." Anna replied. "Alright then," Gunny said as he brought up his Pistol. "this is a very easy weapon to use. Once you're loaded, just bring it up, grip it tight, flip off the safety, take aim and…" The weapon made a loud bang that made Anna flinch. "fire." He said as he lowered his weapon. He looked at Anna and said, "Now you try."

Anna slowly walked over to the firing area. She was nervous, guns were always something that she had always found to be scary. She stepped up to the firing area and unclipped the polished black leather holster and drew her M6. She again quickly studied the weapon and then nervously brought it up to firing position. "Be sure that you really hold onto it, it has a little bit of a kick." Gunny told her. Anna nodded and then slowly flipped the safety off. She carefully sighted on the Brute shaped target sheet at the opposite end of the range. She narrowed her bright brown eyes and then slowly exhaled and squeezed the trigger. The Pistol kicked against the palm of her hand and made a loud bang. Anna jumped and shut her eyes from the sudden pop. "Not bad." Gunny told her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the target. She had managed to shoot the target in the left shoulder. "Keep trying and get used to the feel of that Pistol." He told her. Anna nodded and tried again.

She again squeezed the trigger and held on tightly to the handle of her M6 as it kicked. She had managed a throat shot. "That's a kill shot!" Gunny told her. Anna lowered her M6 and looked back at Gunny, "Really?" She asked. He nodded, "a clean kill if I ever saw one! Nice job Kurauchi." Anna blushed slightly and smiled. "Thank you, Sir." She replied. Gunny cracked a smile and said, "No problem, kid. Pop off a few more rounds and then I'll leave you too it for a while. If you need more clips, their over on the ammo palate." Anna nodded and said, "Um, Sir?" "Yes?" He asked. "Thank you." She said quietly. "What for, Miss?" He asked. Anna sighed and said, "For helping me, and for clearing things up back in the lobby." Gunny walked over to Anna and patted her on the shoulder. He smiled and said, "Think nothing of it." Anna smiled and Saluted. Gunny stood at attention and returned the gesture. "You'll do us all proud, kid."


	37. NEW MANAGEMENT

Sorry for the delay, I had finals to get ready for then get out of the way.

(CHAPTER 37) NEW MANAGEMENT

Brass shell casings fell to the metal floor of the firing range. Anna had been alone for nearly twenty minutes practicing with her pistol and was making progress. Her target at the opposite end of the range was showing a majority of her shots were concentrated around the torso area. She had managed a few head shots but she still wasn't the best at aiming correctly yet. She figured that instead of wasting her ammo on attempted headshots; that should the need arise she would offer her own support and aim for the main body mass.

She detached her spent clip from her M6 and loaded in a fresh magazine into the handle. She flipped the safety off and brought the weapon up to firing position. As she readied to fire another shot she felt her PDA vibrate. Anna sighed as she lowered her M6 and laid it on its side on the firing platform. She pulled out her PDA and opened it. She found a message from the bases A.I. Victoria. It read, "I apologize for interrupting your weapons practice but you are needed in Command sector 2 immediately." Anna quickly pulled up a map of the base and set her destination. She then put the safety on her M6 and placed it in its polished leather holster.

Not wanting to make someone else mad at her, she quickly resituated her uniform and headed for the firing range lobby. She exited the range and pulled her sound suppressors off and laid them on a small table. Quickly, she headed back out into the lobby of the firing range, ignoring the Lieutenant as she went, and then back out into the halls of the base.

The Command level was deep within the base and would require some walking to get too. Anna boarded an elevator that took her deep into the sublevels. When the short ride was over, she stepped out into a hall that resembled the interior of a starship. Unlike the concrete walls of the upper levels of the base, these one's appeared to be made of titanium. She checked her map once more on her PDA and found her current location and where to head next. She proceeded down the long dark hallway towards a door at the opposite end with a large UNSC emblem painted on it. The door was large and had kind of a bank vault style too it. This one didn't open from motion detection; a code was required to enter. Anna saw the small key pad attached to the wall next to the door and it read, "Please enter 6 digit code."

Anna again had to consult her PDA in hopes of finding her access code. She quickly searched through several different files on her PDA and eventually found what she was looking for. She memorized the number and then typed it in on the keypad. The red light above the door flashed to green and the door slowly slid open. She stepped into a long narrow hall. It led to another door that was guarded by ONI officers. She approached them and the one said, "State your business, Ma'am." Anna quickly replied, "Anna Kurauchi, Base Intelligence. I was instructed by Victoria to report to this area."

The guard nodded and then tapped a key code into the door behind him and it swung open. He saluted Anna and she returned the gesture. She walked past the guard and into the bases main command center. The massive room was lined with large monitors and countless workers at desks constantly monitoring the battle that was still being fought. She looked at one of the monitors and could see images of the pit. Plasma and automatic weapon fire flashed all around the massive hole in the city and black plumes of smoke were rising from within the hole. It scared her to death knowing that Devon was down there fighting.

Her trance was broken when she heard someone call out, "Hey, Bass Intel, over here." She quickly focused her attention to the source and saw that she was being addressed by a higher ranked officer in his dress uniform. She walked over to him and saluted, "Anna Kurauchi, Base Intelligence." The officer returned with a quick salute and replied, "Yeah, I know, save it for when you are approached by someone who has the time to hear it." He quickly lifted a sealed file from his desk and handed it to Anna. "Take this to Colonel Heartly in War Command on sub level 12." He told her sternly. "Get it there ASAP!" Anna nodded and replied, "Yes, Sir."

She quickly walked out of the Command room and headed back into the hall. "This was all crazy." She thought. Just because she was a palace maid with close tied to the Chancellor, the higher up's in the UNSC instantly assume that she should be their messenger girl. Still, despite it being a rougher line of work than what she was used too, it was helping her to pass the time. She stepped back into the elevator and headed down to sub level 12. As the elevator descended, she examined the file. It was a sealed envelope style file folder with a red line running down the left side of it with the word "URGENT" stamped on it.

The elevator doors slid open and Anna stepped out and headed towards her destination. She came to a door that again, required her access code to enter. She typed it in on the small keypad and the door unlatched. She continued through and found herself in a large room that looked like an entrance to a large corporate style building. She descended down a flight of stairs and came to a front desk where an older woman in an ONI uniform was busy typing at her computer. Her eye's looked up at Anna and she raised an eyebrow. "Quite an odd position for the Head Palace Maid to end up in." Anna was confused. "Excuse me?" She asked. The woman replied, "Not even forty eight hours ago, you were the Head Maid for Chancellor Izumi, and now here you are working as a Base Intelligence girl." Anna didn't know what to say. She didn't even understand why this woman cared about her situation. "I was assigned to this position by…" She was cut off by the woman, "Yes, yes, I know, Supreme Commander Drake assigned you this position to help keep your mind off of SPARTAN-69, am I correct?" "Yes." Anna timidly replied.

The woman stopped typing and pulled off her glasses. She looked at Anna and said coldly, "I know all about why you're standing here now in that uniform. You happened to stumble into a little girls fantasy of being the princess rescued by her knight in shining armor, am I correct?" "I-um…" Anna stammered. "I thought so." The woman said harshly. "You are in a bad position right now young lady. You are interfering with the UNSC's most valuable asset for this war. Your little crush on SPARTAN-69 is only going to hinder his progress and slow all of us down, much like how the Chancellor of this world is risking the life of SPARTAN-73 due to her capture." Anna was stunned, this woman was clearly not aware of how much Auroran's cared for their Chancellor, that, and the fact of her questioning Anna's feelings for Devon.

"Ma'am, if I may." Anna asked as she tried to hold back her own comments towards this woman, "Is this conversation necessary? I was instructed to bring this file to Colonel Heartly in War Command, and this conversation is slowing me down from completing my assignment." The woman frowned. "Not surprising for the Chancellor's right hand servant to show disrespect to a higher ranked officer. I guess you're only meant to show respect to the Chancellor and no one else." "I wasn't intending to show disrespect Ma'am," Anna replied as she fought to hold back her frustration, "I just want to complete my assignment."

The woman paused for a few moments before replying coldly, "Move along…" Anna felt frustration flow through her from talking with that woman; she wanted to lash out at her but fought to stop herself. As she walked she heard the woman say, "Don't expect to go back to your comfortable lifestyle anytime soon, the Chancellor is probably dead by now anyway." Anna slid to a stop and the heel of her polished uniform shoe squeaked off of the tiled floor. She slowly turned and while fighting to hold back her anger she asked, "What did you say?" The woman raised an eyebrow and replied, "My, such disrespect to a higher officer coming from a Base Intelligence girl…" Anna cut her off, "Answer me!" She yelled.

The woman frowned, "The Chancellor to your planet has been in Covenant hands for nearly twenty four hours, she is most likely dead." "She's not dead!" Anna yelled as she felt tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. "I've known Izumi my entire life, she's stronger than that! She's still alive and she will be rescued!" Anna approached the desk where the woman sat and she sternly said, "I'm not going to stand here and listen to some outsider, old hag tell me that MY best friend and Chancellor to MY planet is dead!" The woman slammed her hands down on her desk and stood up, she yelled, "I suggest that you change your tone right now or I'll have you escorted out of this base for showing such disrespect!" "I don't care how much disrespect you think I'm giving you right now!" Anna yelled, "I came down here to complete an assignment given to me by someone who outranks you several times over and here you are holding me up by telling me that because I happen to be with one of the Spartan's that our chances of winning this war are hindered and that the Supreme Commander is out of his mind for giving me this position."

Anna stood in front of the desk and slammed her own hands down on it and yelled out, "And I will certainly not stand here and be harassed by a stuck up ONI officer that hates my world and who doesn't have any concern at all for my best friend and beloved ruler of Aurora!" The woman didn't reply. She only sat back down in her chair and frowned. Anna regained her composure and replied, "Now if you'll excuse me, Ma'am, you're holding me up from my assignment." Anna quickly spin on her heel and walked off towards the War Command room.

She was flustered and needed to calm down before she went to see Colonel Heartly. Her cheeks were flushed with frustration and she wanted to scream. Anna assumed that repercussions would follow after that little outburst towards an officer, especially seeing as how that officer was a member of ONI. She didn't care; she wasn't UNSC even though she wore the uniform, she was only here because of a request. Her pace quickened as she headed towards the War Command room as she burned off some frustration. "Stuck up old hag." Anna mumbled to herself as she walked.

Anna rounded a corner and saw a guarded door ahead of her. A guard in an ONI uniform stopped her. "Ma'am." He said, "State your business." Anna was finding that she wasn't too fond of ONI. Every officer that was part of ONI had been exceptionally rude to her. She understood that the UNSC was far different than what she was used to working in but she found this to be crossing a line. Anna replied as she saluted, "Anna Kurauchi, Base Intelligence. I was instructed to bring this to Colonel Heartly." The guard quickly grabbed the folder out of Anna's hand. She gasped as it was torn from her grip. He quickly studied the file and read what was stamped on the front of it and then quickly held it back out for Anna to take. Anna took the file from his hand and without saying anything he quickly turned on his heel and unlocked the blast door leading into the command room.

Anna held the file in her folded hands down at her waist as she waited for the door to open. When it fully parted, she stepped inside War Command. This room was far different than any of the other command areas that she had been in. This room resembled a large conference style room. It was a circular room that was only illuminated by dull blue lighting and a large holo projector in the center of the room. Anna saw ten high ranking UNSC officers all standing around the large holo projector with a large map of the drill site projected on it.

She slowly descended down a small flight of stairs that led to the large holo projector. All of the men were talking amongst themselves about various troop placements as well as areas that were taking heavy enemy fire. As she approached, a man in a black uniform slammed his fists down on the edge of the holo projector in anger. Anna flinched slightly. Timidly, she uttered out. "Um, excuse me, Sir…" "What, god dammit!" He shouted as he turned. He saw the young Base Intelligence girl standing before him and she looked rather shocked and scared from his yelling. He realized that she wasn't a higher ranked officer and only someone who ran errands for other officers in the base and was most likely on the receiving end of the higher ranked troops harassment list. He knew the feeling all too well from when he had first enlisted and he sympathized. He sighed and said, "My apologies, Miss. What did you need?" Anna timidly saluted and replied, "Anna Kurauchi, Base Intelligence. I was told to bring this to Colonel Heartly, Sir." The man cracked a smile and pointed to the insignia on his uniform. "You found him." He told her as he took the file from Anna.

She stepped back while he opened it and read over what was on it. Several seconds passed before he finally snapped out, "Can no one in this damn Marine Corps come up with a decent troop position!?" He tossed the file aside and yelled out to the other officers, "I swear that their trying to get my men killed out there, this last troop placement list they sent me was utter bull shit!" He went back to studying the holo projector and looking over his troops. Anna over heard him saying, "This isn't playing well at all, within the hour that hole is going to completely belong to the Covenant." "What about the ODST's and the SPARTAN's down there Colonel?" One of the men asked. This caught Anna's attention. She looked up and heard Heartly reply, "The hell if I know. We haven't heard from them in hours, who knows if their even still alive."

Anna felt her pulse quicken. Curiosity began to get the better of her and she wanted to see just how overrun the pit was getting. Trying not to disrupt the officers, she studied the large holo map from behind them and saw where their troops were being placed and how they were being overrun by the Covenant. She could see that the Covenant drop ships were descending down form space from one of the many cruisers that were in orbit above the city. She could see UNSC troop placements near the outer parameter trying to keep the drop ships from going down. She saw exactly where their gun placements were located and how they were being used. The problem was that by the time that the Covenant ships neared the pit, the UNSC Anti Aircraft guns were losing sight of the ships to quickly as they descended down into the massive hole.

She took notice of the larger skyscrapers surrounding the pit and saw that most were heavily damaged but still intact. An idea hit her. She didn't know if it would work but she wanted to try and do her duty and help. She again slowly approached the holo projector and calmly said, "Excuse me, Sir but if I may, I think I have a solution to your problem." All of the officers looked at her. There was a tense pause before Heartly eventually replied, "Well get on with it." Anna walked up to the large holo projector and said, "I noticed that all of your fire power is located only around the outer parameter. That seems to be very effective against the ground forces but the drop ships are slipping past." One of the officers cut in and said, "We are more than aware of that, Miss. So unless you don't have anything else useful to point out can you please let us get back to work?" Anna continued, "I do have an idea that might prove useful." "Well, spill it." Heartly said. Anna pointed to the ground forced around the parameter of the pit and said, "The Anti Aircraft guns that you have set up are proving useful but only to a certain degree. They aren't getting enough time to lock onto the drop ships before they fly down and go too deep for the guns to aim." She then pointed at the holographic skyscrapers. "However, if you place additional Anti Aircraft guns on top of these surrounding buildings then you would be able to hit the drop ships from above and below. We used the same defense style at the Palace in case of aerial terrorism attacks."

Heartly looked back at the map and then called out to the bases A.I., "Victoria, run a simulation please." The A.I.'s proper voice replied, "Rendering simulation. Please stand by." Several seconds later the image on the holo projection changed with the new gun placements. Victoria simulated a Covenant drop ship flight and showed that the higher placed A.A. guns would do well for hitting the ships hard before allowing the lower placed guns to finish off the damaged crafts. Colonel Heartly immediately opened the rooms COM channel and contacted Command. He called out, "Colonel Heartly to Command, sending new weapon placements to you now." He quickly sent the simulation off to the people in command as well as the new A.A. gun placement areas and then looked to Anna. He said to her. "You know, for a Base Intelligence girl, that was a pretty bold move." She replied, "It was just an observation, Sir." Heartly shook his head and said, "An observation that could give us a nice upper hand and help the Spartan's get back to the surface." He paused and then said, "I think that has earned you a promotion in rank. I'm going to notify the Supreme Commander about this immediately."

Anna was slightly stunned. She didn't realize that such a small observation could earn her so much praise from higher ranking officers. She felt a smile come across her face as well as a feeling of satisfaction fill her. She quickly snapped herself to attention and saluted Colonel Heartly. "Thank you, Sir. I'm glad I could help out." Heartly returned the gesture and replied, "You're going to make one hell of a valuable asset to the UNSC, Kid. Keep up the good work."

(LOCATION) COVENANT HEAVY ASSAULT CARRIER, THE PURIFYING FLAME

NEAR THE OUTER DETENTION BLOCKS

The entire central hub of the Heavy Assault Carrier seemed to be dead in space. Mitsuki had vented the entire central sector of the ship minus the areas that were under the Prophet's control, and the cell blocks near Izumi's location. Kalder was floating freely in the lifeless halls of the ship as he floated towards the inner sector. The red emergency lights were flashing in the halls as he floated towards his destination. It was an eerie quiet in the corridors. All he could hear was his own breaths muffled from within his helmet.

"I have the direct path to Izumi under my control." Mitsuki told him. "I'll keep a NAV marker up on your visor to help guide you." "How close am I?" He asked. An instant later she replied, "The linear path is just under a half of a mile, however, you have to board one of the ships large transport elevators to reach her level." Kalder nodded. "Seems simple enough." Mitsuki replied, "Just be careful, the areas near her cell are still under the Prophets control. He has Honor Guards stationed all around that area. Even I can't override the area to deal with them so you'll have to manage on your own." "They won't stop me." He said calmly as he floated.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed of him floating through the lifeless ship. All around him were the dead bodies of Covenant troops that weren't protected with sealed environment suits. Countless Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals were floating through the halls. There were times when he was floating within inches of a lifeless Chieftain and was just waiting for it to jump to life and attack, but it never did.

He saw his NAV marker flash and point to a large door that was down a side hall. He turned and floated towards it. He saw a small flickering holo panel glowing on the wall. He reached out and rested his palm against it. The door flashed and parted revealing the elevator that Mitsuki was talking about. He floated inside and tapped his fingertips against another holo panel that was inside. Below him, the platform began to rise up towards the top of the ship. As the platform rose, he pulled his Sniper Rifle off of the back of his suit. He only had a few clips left so he would have to use the ammo carefully. He knew that Honor Guards were usually protected by energy shields on their armor and some even with temporary invincibility shielding. He would have to make every shot a headshot. Anything less would be a waste of a round.

The elevator reached its destination and the doors slowly parted. He found himself in a short hallway with a door at the opposite end. He floated out towards the door and heard Mitsuki call out calmly. "Standby, you're coming back to Prophet controlled areas of the ship." Red lights in the hall flashed and atmosphere began to vent back into his area. He felt gravity kick back in and his feet touched back down onto the metal floor. The door then parted with its low tone chiming as it opened. Cautiously, he poked his head around the corner and double checked his motion tracker. No one was around. His NAV marker updated itself and he quickly followed it.

He encountered several black armored Grunts as he navigated through the corridors of the ship. All were brought down with quick pops of his Battle Rifle. Mitsuki had done a great job of masking his presence. She had all of the security cameras set for her vision only and no one else's, even making it impossible for the Prophet to override. As of right now, the Covenant was blind in their own ship.

Kalder came to a door; this one was different from the others he had encountered earlier. It looked much more fortified and had Covenant symbols stenciled in red on it. "You've found it." Mitsuki told him. "This is the entrance to the ships primary detention area. Just be on your toes when you go inside, there's bound to be Honor Guards inside." Kalder nodded and waited for Mitsuki to hack the door open for him. She made quick work of the obstacle and the door slid open.

Inside the detention area was huge. Kalder found himself on an observation deck that spanned over a large multi deck chamber of holding cells. From what he saw, he quickly counted twenty decks worth of cells with at least forty on each row. The room was glowing a ghostly purple from the energy barriers that illuminated the room. His NAV marker again changed and showed that Izumi's location was near the top of the large room. He quickly looked around and saw a crew elevator at the opposite end of the detention area. The elevator however was near where two Honor Guards were standing.

Quietly, he approached the edge of the observation platform and pulled out his Sniper Rifle. He quickly sighted on the head of one of the Brutes and carefully judged his aim. In two swift squeezes of the trigger, he had taken out both Honor Guards, not even giving them time to react. He knew he had a short period of time before their bodies were discovered so he double timed his movement. As he ran, he passed several of the holding cells. All of which had rogue Jackal's, and Brutes held within. All were stripped of their armor and all were enraged to see him. One of the Brutes roared loudly and leapt at the energy barrier at the Spartan but was stopped short from the energy barrier itself. He ignored it and made it to the other elevator.

He quickly stepped inside and slammed his fist on the holo panel and activated it. The elevator quickly ascended away from the large room of cells to a new area. From out of the window in the elevator, he could see separate cells; all were separated from one another and seemed to be separate areas for both interrogation and holding. "This is the area that she is being kept in." Mitsuki told him. "Her cell is at the far end of the room and is being guarded by a large number of Honor Guards." Kalder's eyes narrowed as he popped the bolt on his Sniper Rifle. "Anything else I should know about?" He asked. "Only that I suggest you move quickly." Mitsuki told him. "Because I'm tracking the Prophet's movements and he's heading towards Izumi's cell."

That was all he needed to hear. Kalder quickly brought his weapon up to firing position and ran through the halls. He rounded a corner and saw an Honor Guard walking in the same direction as him. With lightning quick speed, Kalder quickly brought the butt of his rifle down on the back of the Brutes head and killed it. He didn't bother to stop to scavenge for grenades; he just kept moving. Around the next corner were two more Honor guards. These ones; however, did take notice of him. They both jumped in surprise and reached for their Brute Shot's. Their motions were again cut short as two quick pops from Kalder's Sniper Rifle quickly brought the two down before they could react.

"The Prophet is in her holding cell." Mitsuki reported. As she continued, he voice began to crackle and seemed to skip, much like a defective CD. "I s-s-s-suggest that you-u-u-u h-h-h-hurry!" Static flowed through his speakers and Mitsuki's voice stopped. He knew something was wrong, he quickly called back, "Mitsuki, come in." He heard no reply. "Mitsuki, report! What's wrong?" He only heard static. "Shit!" He cursed. He was now on his own. He still noticed that his NAV marker was active so it was obvious that a part of her was still functioning and with him.

He saw the NAV arrow turn sharply and point downward through an observation window. He slid to a stop and looked down. A line of six Honor Guards were marching towards the area of Izumi's cell. He quickly fed in a fresh clip into his Sniper Rifle and leapt through the window and fell with the shower of glass onto the floor below. The Brutes all jumped in surprise and turned as he began to pick them off with head shots. Four of the Brutes fell dead and the two remaining ones began to fire their weapons.

His shields quickly dropped from the one Honor Guard's Brute Shot rounds. He quickly rolled to the side and primed an Incendiary Grenade and tossed it at the Honor Guards. It landed in the center of the two and burst into flame. The one instantly fell over while the other, who was more quick to react, activated its Invincibility shielding. The Honor Guard showed evidence of burns on the left side of its body from the Incendiary Grenade but was obviously ignoring them as it pulled out its Gravity Hammer and charged. Kalder didn't even bother attempting to shoot, he knew better than to waste rounds on Invincibility shielding. All he could do was dodge the attacks until the shielding wore off. He quickly activated the Jackal shield on his wrist from his earlier battle and began dodging the angry Brute.

It brought its hammer back and quickly lunged forward bringing the hammers forceful blow at the Spartan. Kalder quickly held out the Jackals shield to absorb most of the blow. The shield instantly flared and died from the force of the Gravity Hammer. He knew it would react that way. Kalder flexed his legs and leapt into the air and jumped over the Honor Guard. As he vaulted himself over the Brute, he forcefully kicked the heel of his boot onto the back of its head making it stumble slightly. While still in the air, he pulled out another Incendiary Grenade and primed it. Before he landed he tossed the device and the Brute and watched it burst into flame. His hopes were that the Grenade would stun the Brute long enough for its shielding to wear off. He landed and watched as the Brute thrashed around in the fire with its bright Invincibility shielding flaring against the heat.

It did little to slow the alien down. Within seconds it was refocused and charging out of the flames. In a last ditch effort, Kalder quickly slapped his Sniper Rifle onto the back of his suit and pulled out the Plasma Sword that he had taken from his earlier battle. The blade flashed to life and he gripped its hilt tightly in his hand as the Brute charged. It was doing exactly what he wanted it too. With its Gravity Hammer raised high above its head, it roared loudly and brought the massive weapon down. Kalder anticipated this and he quickly leapt into the air once more and jumped over the Brute, just barely dodging the Gravity Hammer as it flew past him. He watched as he leapt through the air as the hammer impacted violently off of the ships metal floor. Almost instantly after the hammer hit the ground that the Honor Guards Invincibility shielding finally died. Kalder quickly landed and spun in his heel and with lightning quick speed, pierced the blade into the Brutes spine. He heard the ape like creature grunt loudly and then fall limp onto the floor.

He quickly retracted the blade and walked over to the dead Brute and took its Gravity Hammer. Even in his MJOLNIR armor, the weapon felt heavy. Still, his visor was showing its power to be at over half. He held onto the weapon and kept moving.

He passed through two more sets of doors and come to a cell where his NAV marker was leading him. He paused and looked at it. "This is it." He thought. He had made it to Izumi. The door was under a lock down and he quickly called out to his A.I. "Mitsuki, hack it." He only heard a static filled reply; he couldn't even make out what she was saying. He wanted nothing more than to get Izumi and Mitsuki off of this ship then let the other UNSC ships blow it away with their MAC Cannons. It took Mitsuki nearly four seconds to hack through the door before it made its dull chime and slid open. Inside Kalder found himself in an observation room that over looked a cell. Down below he could see two Honor Guards; these ones were in black armor instead of the usual red and gold; and in front of them, positioned in front of the rooms only holding cell was the Prophet of Redemption in his hovering throne.

There was no hesitation. He quickly pulled out his Sniper Rifle and aimed it at the Prophet through the open observation window. He sighted dead center in the back of its head and he squeezed the trigger. It was as if he could see the round leave the barrel of his gun and head straight towards the Prophet. His eyes widened. The round hit an energy barrier surrounding the Prophet and impacted harmlessly on one of the walls. The two Brute Honor Guards jumped and raised their Gravity Hammers. The Prophets throne slowly rotated to face him. He could see its large eyes narrow as he focused on the Spartan. The prophet frowned and said, "I knew it. I knew it had to have been one of you wretched Demon's, treading your filthy footsteps through my ship." He again didn't hesitate as he primed his final Incendiary Grenade and tossed it towards the Prophet. He watched as the two Brute Honor Guards leapt their bodies in front of it and allow the device to burn them alive, all to protect their Prophet.

He could see a golden force field of energy flicker around the Prophets throne from the intense heat. His throne moved forward out of the flames and he spoke with anger, "You may have gotten this far, Demon, but it is as far as you will tread in my ship!" The arms of the Prophet's throne began to glow with energy. Almost instantly, two golden beams of light that almost resembled a Hunters Fuel Rod Cannon shot at the Spartan. He quickly dodged the attack and leapt out of the way. When he was out of sight, the beams of energy stopped. Kalder saw his chance and quickly leapt down from the observation window and landed on the Prophet's throne. It shifted uneasily from the sudden weight change and nearly toppled over. Kalder quickly pulled his arm back and brought a force filled punch down on the Prophet's face. He watched as its head jerked unnaturally and its thick blood splattered from its mouth.

The Prophet quickly slammed its fist down on the holo panel on the arm of his throne and an energy pulse sent Kalder flying to the floor. He quickly looked up and saw the Prophet teleport away. Kalder frowned as he felt his adrenaline level lower itself. He thought he had the Prophet in the palm of his hand but like always, it managed to slip away. He quickly regained his footing and stood. He looked at the energy barrier and he could see Izumi lying back on the bed in her cell. She had a lock down collar around her neck. It was a device the Covenant used to keep their prisoners in a forced sleep until they were needed. "Mitsuki, deactivate this barrier." He only received the reply of her warped voice surrounded by static. He frowned. "Don't worry; I'm getting you out of here next." He told her reassuringly.

He walked into the cell and approached Izumi. "Send me her vitals." He told Mitsuki. He watched as his visor updated with all of her vital stats. He wanted to be sure she had no injuries before he moved her. He was thankful that she unharmed minus a few small cuts and bruises. He leaned down and carefully detached the lock down collar from her neck. He pulled the device off and threw it on the floor. He heard Izumi's soft groans as she regained consciousness. Her hunter green eyes slowly fluttered open and she saw before her a Spartan, clad in his Grey and Blue armor. Her eyes widened as she grasped her situation. "…Kalder?" She uttered out. He depolarized his golden visor so she could see his face. She saw his eyes staring back at her and she instantly cried out, "Kalder!" as she leapt into his arms and cried. "It's okay." He told her as he held onto her. "You're safe now."

In between her sobs she uttered out. "I was so scared. I didn't know what was going to happen to me." He picked her up in his arms and told her calmly. "You don't need to worry; I'm getting you out of here." He heard his radio click on and Mitsuki's voice, still filled with static came on. She was still hard to understand but he managed to hear her saying, "You need to get moving, the Prophet is alerting the ship of your presence and is sending reinforcements your way. I'm sending you directions to the nearest escape pods in your location." "Good," Kalder replied, "and show me the closest place to pick you back up too." Mitsuki sighed and said with worry in her voice. "That is not possible." "What do you mean!?" He shot back. Mitsuki replied solemnly, "I have to stay behind; I'm the only thing giving you the upper hand on this ship. The minute I'm out of the system, the Prophet regains control." "Mitsuki, I'm not leaving you behind." He told her sternly. "You have to." She replied, "If not then we're all dead, now I suggest you get moving, you fought so hard to get to Izumi, don't ruin all of this after you got so far!" Mitsuki instantly severed the COM channel.

Back in the Control Hub of the ship Mitsuki's hologram stood motionless. Her figure was fuzzed with static and her color was warping from its usual bright neon green to shades of yellow and red. She stood with a trembling lip knowing that she had to be left behind from her Spartan. She was no longer in safe hands. With her systems clearly in need of repair and her mind beginning to slip into thoughts of total power over the safety of her carrier she had to stand and bear the weight of the burden on her own. Tears streamed down her holographic cheeks as she could only stand and do her best to help her Spartan and Izumi escape.

Kalder re polarized his visor and looked at Izumi. He said calmly. "Just hold on, I'm getting you out of here." Izumi nodded and replied, "You came all this way, and fought off countless Covenant troops on your own, all to save me. Why?" As Kalder ran down the halls following Mitsuki's NAV marker he replied, "Because I swore an oath to the most important order I was ever assigned, to protect the most important person in the world to me. I'm not going to fail that mission." Izumi blushed as a silent tear trickled down her cheek. She had never felt so safe in her life and she wanted nothing more than to be in Kalder's arms.

As Kalder ran, he heard an alarm sound through the ships halls followed by the Prophet's voice over an intercom saying, "All Honor Guard's are to report to cell block D. A wretched Demon of the human forces has stolen what is rightfully ours! Stop him and hold nothing back!" He could see a look of worry fill Izumi's face. He calmly said to her, "Don't worry, we're almost out of here." His NAV marker was leading him to an area just shy of one hundred yards of his current location. It was an easy sprinting distance for him. He just had to take extra care to make sure that no harm came to Izumi.

A door ahead of him opened thanks to Mitsuki watching over him. From behind, he could hear the sounds of angry Brutes roaring their battle cries while firing their weapons at him. He felt several rounds from Carbines splash over his shields. Izumi jumped as she watched his battle suit flare gold from the impacts. "Are you alright?" she asked with concern. "I'm fine." He told her. "It's you that I'm worried about."

Up ahead he could see a long row of escape pods. He saw one of the doors automatically open followed by Mitsuki saying, "I have all of the other pods on lock down as well as all of the smaller ships in the hanger bays that could be used to hunt you down after you launch. You'll be in the clear once you are free from the ship." Kalder frowned and then replied, "I will come back for you." Mitsuki paused and then replied, "You shouldn't lie to a girl. It could break her heart." Kalder quickly sprinted inside the pod as plasma fire splashed off of the surrounding walls. Mitsuki quickly shut the hatch and Kalder told her. "I've never lied to you, and I don't plan to start now." He quickly set Izumi down and she strapped into one of the seats in the escape pod. Mitsuki didn't reply to him. She only said, "Standby, launching in 3, 2, 1, Mark!" Kalder held on as he felt the pod rapidly descend through the ship before hurtling out into space.

He quickly plotted a course in on the pods computer and then went to Izumi. He knelt down and said, "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" She didn't reply. She simply looked at him and said quietly. "You risked your life for me, Kalder." He looked at her and said, "It was a risk I was willing to take." She replied, "Words can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am." Kalder replied, "Everything is alright now, they won't ever get near you again." Izumi slowly reached her hands up and pulled Kalder's helmet off. She watched as his wavy, sandy blonde hair fell into place and she then stared into his eyes. She calmly said, "When I first met you and I was able to talk with you in person, I knew you would be the one to protect me. Obligation to the UNSC or not, I want you by my side forever." "Chancellor?" He asked. "She put her hands on the sides of his face and she said calmly, "I told you so many times, call me Izumi." She then slowly pulled her lips to his and the two kissed.

At that moment the war didn't matter. The Covenant no longer had control over her and the surrounding space battles seemed to be nonexistent, it was only her, Kalder, and the countless stars that flickered out of the escape pods front view port. The red glow of the atmosphere of Aurora began to spark across the view port and the glow of the planets aurora borealis began to fill the interior of the pod with color. Kalder slowly pulled from the kiss and opened up his COM to Command and said, "This is SPARTAN-73 to Command, the Chancellor is safe, I repeat, the Chancellor is safe."

(LOCATION) THE PROPHET OF REDEMPTIONS INNER SANCTUM

"The human and the Demon have escaped Holy One. We did all we could but it seems that we were informed too late to take…" "Silence!" The prophet yelled to a Brute Commander as it was trying to explain the situation. The Prophet continued with anger, "Your failure to safe guard the Chancellor of that world is unacceptable! A thousand hells await you and all who failed!" The Prophet severed the communication and then rubbed its slender hand over its jaw. The Demon in the special armor had failed to kill him but had indeed left a lasting mark. The Prophet knew its jaw wasn't broken but it definitely felt as though it was.

It took a piece of cloth from in a pocket of its robe and whipped a trickle of blood from its lip. Redemption knew that a recapture of the Chancellor was next to impossible; she would no doubt be kept within the confines of the human's strongest fortified area and guarded by an untold amount of forces. It cursed in its native tongue as it tossed the piece of cloth to the floor.

Still, aside from the matter of the failure of his troops to safeguard the Chancellor, he had one other matter to attend too. He tapped a series of commands in on the holo panel of his throne and a holo pedestal lit up on the opposite side of the room. His throne slowly hovered over to it and he watched as a figure appeared. He saw before him the figure of a dainty neon green human female, from what he knew of humans, this female was still only a child, not even in full adulthood. Mitsuki stood firm, she knew where she was and why she was there.

"So…" The Prophet frowned. "You are the one who has caused this chaos in my ship." Mitsuki's hologram filled with static and her timid look, along with her neon green color completely changed. Her color morphed to a deep blood red and her face went from its usual cute, timid look to an almost sinister, twisted smile. She looked at the prophet and replied, "You can go on and on all you want about the trouble that I caused you but know that I regret none of it." The Prophet again frowned and replied, "How dare you! You infiltrate my ship and tamper with its systems; you will be destroyed within the hour!" Mitsuki began to laugh. It wasn't a normal laugh but a laugh that seemed to be filled with a sadistic madness. She looked at the Prophet and replied, "I would watch what you say." She told him. "Because no matter what you say and no matter what threats you throw at me, know that this ship belongs to me!"


	38. HONOR

(CHAPTER 38) HONOR

The tunnel that led to the elevator that Veil spoke of was long and dark. Only small lights illuminated the path and minus the sound of Eric's Angel Pack, the hall was silent. He had to keep his wings folded to a small area so they wouldn't clip the edges of the walls. The flight wasn't very long; it only took about three minutes to reach the opposite end. With his helmets flashlight, he could see the end of this tunnel and his way back to the surface.

"That's the elevator," Veil announced, "it will take you to the central room and from there you can head back to the surface." Eric checked his mission timer; he still had a little less than two hours before this place would self destruct. That was more than enough time to make it out. He killed the thrusters on his Angel Pack and set back down on the metal floor. The elevator doors parted and he stepped inside.

He set Yuna down and walked over to a holo panel and tapped his finger on one of the symbols. The platform shuddered and instantly began to rise. Yuna walked over to Eric. She put her hand on the forearm plate of his armor and he looked down at her. She asked, "What am I going to do when we get to the surface? I don't want ONI locking me in one of their labs and running tests on me for the rest of my life." Her Spartan rested his hand on her shoulder. Under his golden visor he smiled and replied, "You don't have to worry; if I know Dr. Halsey, she won't want anyone getting near you to study you unless it's her. We both know that she won't lock you up as a test subject."

She seemed nervous. He had known Yuna for a long time and knew how she acted and when something was bothering her. He could tell by the way her face was that she was nervous about what lay ahead of her. He tried to change the subject to take her mind off of it. "So, how's your arm feel?" He asked. Yuna snapped from her trace and looked down at her blood covered sleeve. She ran her delicate fingers over it and replied, "It doesn't hurt anymore. It just feels numb." "That's good." He told her. "That means the Bio-Foam is working." Yuna sighed and said, "I still don't know how you can get shot and barely flinch. This hurt so bad." "I told you." He said as he pulled his Shotgun off of his back. "I feel those shots hitting me. I've just learned to ignore it." Eric paused for a moment and then said, "Except when the Theta bit me; that one I couldn't ignore." Yuna didn't reply. She remembered back in the glass fields when her Spartan almost died from the Theta attack, and she remembered how scared she was for his life.

A few moments later the elevator slowed down and what appeared to be the top of the shaft split open to reveal the round elevator platform immerging back in the center of the large domed room that he had been in shortly after he arrived in this underground world. Eric looked around and Yuna asked. "Veil, which way leads to the surface?" Almost instantly, she replied, "Head to the southern end of the room. That door leads to the exit." Knowing that there were Covenant in the underground, Eric took the lead while holding his Shotgun at the ready. He looked back at Yuna and said, "Stay close." She simply nodded and stayed near the safety of her Spartan.

Eric started in a quick pace but not fast enough for Yuna to fall behind. He had taken no more than ten steps when from behind he heard Yuna scream. He instantly froze and spun on his heel. He turned to find Yuna trapped inside what looked like a small bubble shield. "Yuna!" He called out. He instantly ran back to her and slid to a stop in front of the barrier that surrounded her. He held his hand out to try and reach through but found that it was impassable. "Stand back." He told her sternly as he pulled his fist back and brought it down on the barrier and also found that this too wouldn't do any good.

From behind him, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps land and the sound of a Plasma Sword flashing to life. Under his visor he frowned and slowly turned. Standing in front of him with its Plasma Sword drawn was the Elite Major that he had encountered from before when he had just entered the underground. Eric quickly pulled his Sniper Rifle off of the back of his suit and popped a round off. With lightning quick speed the Elite Major brought its sword up and deflected the bullet. Eric's eyes widened. "Impossible!" He thought.

The Elite Major seemed to be frowning and it said in its low voice, "You've treaded your filthy feet through the realm of the god's for too long, and now you're trying to escape with two very valuable icons of their creation." Eric frowned under his visor and replied, "I told you before, I'm very good and pissing your race off." The Elite Major scowled and reached in its long black robe and pulled out the unpowered hilt of another Plasma Sword. He tossed it in the air at Eric and without hesitation he grabbed it. Eric raised an eyebrow. He gripped the hilt in his glove and replied, "So, you wanna dance huh?" The Elite replied, "Not until you even the odds." Eric tilted his head and asked, "What do you mean?" The Elite replied, "The device on your back that grants you flight, remove it." "Don't do it, Eric!" Yuna called out, "It gives you an upper hand for defense!" Eric thought for a second and then came to the conclusion that if this Elite wanted a fair fight, then he would give it to him.

Slowly, he reached his hands up and detached his angel pack from his suit. The heavy pack unclasped from his armor and fell to the floor of the large domed room. He again gripped the hilt of the blade tightly in his hand and activated it. The blade hissed to life in his hand and he said, "You Elites sure as hell aren't dirty fighters like those Brutes." The Elite Major replied, "Unlike those filthy creatures, we Sangheili believe in honor in battle." Eric's pose stiffened and he replied, "Good, this should be interesting then." With lightning quick speed, Eric sprinted forward and slashed the blade in the Elites direction. It was instantly blocked.

The Elite Major retaliated with a quick slash of its own blade. Quickly, the Spartan sprang backwards and dodged the slash. With the Elite's guard down, Eric made another quick slash. The blade headed for the Elite's back but in the blink of an eye, the alien quickly kicked its leg up and its hoofed boot impacted on the forearm plate of Eric's armor. He almost lost his grip on the blades hilt but quickly tightened his hand around it.

Both then stood back up regained their footing and continued slashing at each other. Every action happened so fast and every movement was almost equally matched by both opponents. Eric spun on his heel and delivered a hard slash of his blade towards the Elite. It too was instantly blocked. The impact was enough to send the Spartan off balance so he instantly regained his fighting stance and lunged forward and the two blades of plasma collided. They both hissed angrily as the blades were forced against one another and the two warriors clashed their weapons harder towards each other.

The Elite Major quickly pushed its weight forward and shoved the Spartan away from him. Eric felt himself slide back and saw sparks fly from underneath his boots as he slid. He again regained his fighting stance and held his blade out. Even from behind his golden visor, the two warriors met eyes and slowly began to circle one another. "You are indeed strong, Demon. But your strength will not save you." The Elite Major told him as they circled. Eric frowned under his visor and replied, "I could say the same for you, but I was never one for complimenting my enemy."

"Your bravado can only lead you so far." The Elite told him. "You will fall before the might of the Covenant and the two Icons that you possess will belong to me." He knew this Elite wanted Yuna and Veil. For what purpose he didn't know, only that it would be used against him and the UNSC. Still, he glanced over at Yuna who was watching the battle from in the safety of the energy barrier; he looked at the Elite and replied, "Yeah, like you could handle her! She may be small but damn she knows how to defend herself, if not physically then verbally!"

The Elite seemed to frown at him and replied harshly as it again lunged forward. "We shall see!" Instantly, Eric brought up his blade and blocked the attack. He quickly flicked his wrist and slid the Elites blade off of his and retaliated with his own slash. His eyes widened as he came close to a successful hit on the Elite Major but then realized that he had only managed to slash a large portion of the Elites black and gold robe. This was met with another instant retaliation from the Elites blade.

The two's duel had intensified so much that from inside her protective energy barrier, Yuna could only see two ghostly blue blurs of the two Plasma Swords swinging wildly and clashing loudly against one another. She could her Spartan fighting for his life and even she knew that this Elite might even be too strong for him. "Veil, can't you do something to help him!?" She desperately asked. She could hear Veil's voice reply. "I have already called for the Theta's to assist us but I'm afraid that most of them are fighting off the enemy forces. It may be a few minutes until they arrive." Yuna bit her lover lip and shot back, "He may not have a few minutes!" Again, Veil replied, "My apologies, but there is only so much I can do while away from the core." Yuna yelled out and punched her fists against the energy barrier to try and free herself, and help her Spartan. It did no good. There was no way through it. Veil had even attempted to hack through it but quickly realized that the only way for it to deactivate was through a device that the Elite Major possessed so until either Eric beat it, or the Elite itself deactivated it, they were stuck.

Eric yelled out as he again lunged for the Elite with his Plasma Sword held high above his head. With lightning quick speed, the Elite brought its massive hoof up and kicked Eric right in his abdomen. The Spartan felt himself again go sliding back from the force and nearly felt the wind get knocked out of him. He inhaled sharply and again sprinted forward and this time the two clashed. The two Plasma Swords sparked wildly with power as the blades forced against each other. Neither warrior backed down; both were pressing with all of their might to try and overpower their foe.

With his left hand, Eric quickly delivered several quick, but hard punched to the Elite Majors unarmored torso. The Elite grunted from the impacts and retaliated with a swift uppercut to the bottom of Eric's helmet. The punch was so hard that his armors shields instantly dropped and he could feel his helmet come loose and then watched as it completely detached from his suit and fell to the floor. He ignored it; there was nothing that he could do about it now. He grinned his teeth as he fought to keep his strength up and keep the Elite from cutting him in two. His long electric blue hair was draping over his face and he felt his arm beginning to weaken. Quickly, he brought his free hand up and gripped his hand onto his forearm plate of his armor. He saw his suits shields flash a quick flare of gold followed by the sound of a loud pop coming from his suits fusion pack. His shields then vanished. He knew what had just happened; his shield generator had once again overloaded and blew out.

Yuna felt her adrenaline spike. She knew that his strength was weakening and that this Elite wasn't backing down anytime soon. It was torture. She could only stand and watch as her Spartan fought for his life. Still, she had her own ways of aiding him. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts. Veil had given her the power to summon the Forerunner creations. She knew this from the time she was born. In her thoughts, she too tried to call out for the Theta's but it was just as Veil had said, she could tell that they were all fighting off Covenant forces. She was left with no other option but to watch and hope the best for her Spartan.

Suddenly, Eric's blade sparked and died as its power supply ran out. He inhaled sharply in shock and his eyes widened. In what felt like slow motion, he felt himself shift off balance and begin to topple forward. With its shockingly fast speed, the Elite Major saw its chance and quickly redirected his Plasma Sword and delivered a slash to the side of Eric's battle suit, easily cutting through the black layer and slicing into the side of his abdomen.

His eyes widened and in what seemed to be crawling time, he fell to his knees and out of instinct gripped his hand over the wound. His eyes slammed shut and he felt them water as he yelled out in pain. He could hear Yuna yelling out his name in a panic. He knew she had seen what had just happened.

Still on his knees, he slowly looked up and saw the Elite Major approach him. Eric grinned his teeth in pain and scowled at the Elite. "You bastard!" He groaned from the pain. "This isn't over!" The Elite let out a low laugh and replied, "It is over Demon, you have been defeated at the hands of the Covenant; and now, the Icons that you have stolen will rightfully be placed in the hands of the Prophet." The Elite then raised a strange, red colored Plasma Pistol. He pointed it directly at the wounded Spartan and began to charge it. The weapon glowed with a bright white light and hummed loudly as it charged. He knew what was coming; it was his moment to die. The Elite let go of the trigger and Eric inhaled his final breath as he felt the round slam into the chest plate of his armor.

He felt his body lock up and felt power surge through him and he again yelled out in pain and felt himself go limp on the ground. He had been hit by the Covenant version of a taser. The Elite looked at Eric and said, "My army will deal with you once I am gone." He then slowly turned to face Yuna. It said in its low voice as it approached her, "You may have stood by his side while he killed our warriors but he won't be here to save you from the power of the Covenant." Yuna backed herself against the rear of the energy barrier and yelled out Eric's name in fear. She could feel tears streaming down her china doll cheeks as she frantically called out for a rescue.

As the Elite approached her, from behind he heard the loud duel metallic clicks of a shotguns pump followed by a loud bang. The Elite's eyes widened as it felt the pain of the buckshot impact on its back. Yuna looked up to see her Spartan, kneeling on one knee with blood steadily dripping from his wounded abdomen. His face showed a mix of both pain and anger as he called out, "Don't you touch her you bastard!" The Elite quickly drew its Plasma Sword and readied to charge. Eric saw the Elite's plan and quickly aimed for its hand and squeezed the trigger. The close range shotgun blast mangled the Elite's hand its sword instantly fell loose from his grip. The Elite yelled out from the pain as Eric popped another shot of buckshot into the Elite's torso. He weakly got to his feet and pumped another round into the 8 gauge's chamber. He then shot that round into the Elite and yelled out, "How do you like the pain, bitch!" The Elite fought to get back to its feet but was instantly brought back down from the repeat shotgun blasts. It fought to catch its breath as its slick purple blood poured from its body.

Eric reached down and grabbed the aliens Plasma Sword. He flicked his wrist and the blade hissed to life. He slowly walked forward ignoring his own pain. The Elite looked up at him and said with its dying anger, "You may strike me down, but as we speak, wave after wave of my armies will descend upon you like a plague of death!" Eric forced a grin and he let out a small laugh that was filled with hate. He then quickly tossed the Plasma Sword up in the air. He then jumped up and grabbed the hilt of the weapon as it was in mid air and then forcefully brought it down into the Elite Major's torso. The Elite yelled out as the white hot blade sailed through its body and then impaled it to the floor. "Never leave a Shotgun near me." Eric said as it looked at the dying Elite. He held the blade in the alien and watched as it finally breathed its last breath.

As his adrenaline level dropped, his pain returned. He breathed in a sharp breath and looked at Yuna. She was still in a panic and had tears streaming down her face. He uneasily shuffled his way over towards her while his blood continued to pour from his body. He called out, "Hang on; I'm going to get… you…out…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He was too weak from blood loss and he again fell to his knees. "Eric!" Yuna called out. He weakly looked up at her and said, "I'm alright." He then heard Veil's voice call out, "The release for this barrier is on that dead Elite. Find the device so we can get out of here."

He slowly turned his head towards the dead Elite Major and then forced himself to go towards its dead body. He fought so hard to fight off the pain but even all of his years of military training weren't helping him right now. As he neared its body he heard Veil say with worry in her voice, "Oh no! It spoke the truth." "What do you mean?" Yuna asked. Veil continued, "I'm detecting movement heading towards this location, and it's not from anything I summoned." Eric heard a loud explosion coming from the opposite end of the room. He looked up and saw the large armored door being blown from its mounting and falling to the floor. He then saw wave after wave of Elite's pouring into the room.

With his long electric blue hair draping over his face, he saw the threat that was approaching. Fighting off his own pain he raised his Shotgun and took aim. The device to deactivate the energy barrier would have to wait until he dealt with these Elites. When one of the Elite's was in range, he squeezed the trigger and his Shotgun kicked hard against his shoulder. He felt the unusually hard kick shake his body. He grunted in pain from the wound on his side and then realized that his shields never recharged. "Dammit!" He cursed. His shield generator had in fact blown.

His shotgun again made another loud bang as he fired a second round into another oncoming Elite. Yuna couldn't speak. Fear was the only thing that she could feel. Her Spartan was wounded, running low on ammo, and he was dangerously outnumbered. An Elite clad in scarlet armor approached him. Eric frowned and squeezed the trigger of his Shotgun. All he heard was a metallic click and no bang. His eyes widened and he realized that he was out of ammo. All he could do was stand and slowly back himself up as the Elite approached him. When it was in range, he quickly swung the butt of his Shotgun at the alien and try to stun it. In his weakened state, he didn't even come close to a full swing. The Elite grabbed the Shotgun as it was in mid swing and he stopped it. Eric gasped as the Elite snatched the weapon from his grip and then deliver a swift kick from its large hoofed boot to his wounded abdomen.

He yelled out loudly in pain and toppled over. "Eric!" Yuna screamed. With blood still dripping steadily from his wound he looked up at the Elite and frowned. "You bastard!" He spat. "You're lucky I don't have any ammo left or I'd kill you ten times before you hit the ground!" The Elite reached down and wrapped its long hand around the Spartan's neck and then lifted him up off of the floor. He couldn't breathe and he fought off his urge to panic. He brought his hands onto the Elite's forearm and tried to hold the weight of his battle suit up to keep it off of his body. The Elite held him at eye level and said, "To think, that this is the mighty warrior that the humans spoke so highly of. If only they could see you now." Eric didn't respond. Fighting off his pain, he yelled out and swung his fist at the Elite's helmet. He was too weak to deliver a full punch; he only managed to jerk the aliens head slightly.

The Elite gave a low laugh as other Covenant forces gathered around the two. He looked around. Elite's all wearing different colored armor, most in blue and scarlet, and others in the higher ranking gold and black; all were staring at him and all were waiting for the final blow to be dealt.

Eric's emerald green eyes narrowed and he gasped out, "If you think killing me is going to end all of your problems, than damn are you in for a shock!" The Elite grabbed the Plasma Sword hilt from the mount on Eric's armors leg plate. He gripped the hilt and flicked its wrist as the blade flashed to life. Yuna screamed out in fear. Her pleas for his life echoed off of the room's walls and she felt her tears streaming down her face as she openly cried out. The Elite brought the blade up to Eric's throat and prepared to make the cut. "I will enjoy this, Demon." It said with hate as it readied to end his life.

The floor of the room seemed to tremble slightly and all of the Elite's looked around. The scarlet armored Elite holding Eric also lowered its blade and looked. From the far tunnel came an ear piercing shriek. All of the Elite's raised their weapons and stood at firing position. And in what seemed like an instant, a large number of Theta's sprinted into the room. The Elite instantly dropped Eric to the ground and he grunted out from the impact. He slowly raised his head up and saw all of the Elite's fighting off the Theta's. He then saw something that caught his eye, on the back of one of the Theta's was Devon. He was holding onto one of its large scales with one hand and firing his Sniper Rifle with the other.

Yuna also looked up and saw the sight unfold. She watched as the massive, jet black creatures, tore and mauled the Elite's. She counted at least twenty of them. She watched the killing begin and saw all of the death unfold before her. She began to feel strange; something new that she had never felt before. She felt light headed and then felt herself falling to the floor and finally blacking out. Everything that was happening around her was to sudden and her new body couldn't handle it and Yuna was left unconscious. Eric's vision began to blur as he watched and out of instinct, he held his hand tightly over his wound on his side. The battle took no longer than thirty seconds. Devon looked around and could see Eric lying on his back in a pool of his own blood. "Shit! Eric!" He called out. He quickly maneuvered his Theta over to Eric and then hopped off and went to his fellow Spartan's aid. He knelt down and saw Eric laying with his helmet off and blood flowing from a large wound on his side.

"Jesus Eric, what happened!?" Eric held his hand up at Devon and called out, "Get Yuna. Get her out of here." Devon looked around, "Where's her chip?" He asked. Eric shook his head and again said, "Get her out of here. She's more valuable than I am to this war now. Get her back to Halsey!" Devon reached to the back of Eric head to try and feel for Yuna's chip in his neural implant. He didn't feel anything. "Where's her chip?" Devon asked. "She's not in it anymore." Eric replied weakly. Devon again looked at the large wound on Eric's abdomen and replied as he took Dokuro's chip out. "Have Dokuro patch you up with Nanites and then I'll help you look for Yuna's chip." Eric instantly stopped Devon's hand and said, "My implant is fried, it won't do any good. Just get Yuna and leave me!" Eric was getting weaker and Devon just assumed his rambling about Yuna was just a side effect of his injury.

He quickly pulled out a small med pack and pulled out a can of Bio-Foam. He held the nozzle over the wound and said, "Sorry dude, but this is gonna suck for you." Eric felt the foam spray into his wound and he instantly yelled out in pain. "That's gonna have to hold you until we get back to the surface." Devon told him as he tossed the can aside. He weakly lifted his head and held his hand out and pointed to the energy barrier. "Listen to me, god dammit!" Eric yelled as he fought to get to his feet. "Whoa! Take it easy!" Devon told him. "You shouldn't be moving that much when you've lost that much blood. You're going to go into shock." Eric ignored him and headed for the dead Elite Major. He quickly found the device that controlled the energy barrier. It was a black wrist band with a single red button on it. He then headed over to what Devon had assumed was just a stray Bubble Shield.

Eric weakly pressed the red button as his hand trembled. The barrier then deactivated and Devon's eyes widened at the sight before him. Lying on the ground in a pure white and silver robe was a girl. A girl that he recognized with her long, ankle length, sky blue hair and her pure china doll face. Eric sluggishly knelt down in front of her and picked up her unconscious body into his arms. He instantly heard Veil say, "She's alright, only unconscious; she was just overwhelmed from the battle. She will be fine."

Eric slowly turned and faced Devon. "Eric…" Devon uttered out. "Is that…?" "It can't be." Devon heard Dokuro add in. Eric slowly walked towards his friend and replied, "We need to get her out of here. I'll explain all of this later. I don't even understand completely how it happened but she's alive." Devon didn't know what to say. He simply nodded and said, "Then let's get moving." He then quickly picked up Eric's helmet and handed it to him. With one hand, Eric reattached his helmet to his armor and held Yuna in the other. Devon then helped him get his Angel Pack back on and his visors HUD once again displayed its settings. Finally, Eric knelt down and reattached his Shotgun to the back of his suit and then looked at the Theta's that were surrounding them.

"They work for us now I'm guessing?" Eric asked. Devon walked over to the larger sized one that he had been riding on. He patted the creature on its sleek, jet black scales and replied, "Yep, Thatius here got me to you before that Elite skewered you; if that's not a partnership I don't know what is." Eric looked at the massive creatures and replied, "…Thatius?" Devon nodded and said, "Yeah, he treats me like I'm his master, and every master needs to give his pet a name." "Oh my god…" Eric uttered. "Let's just hope it stays that way and he doesn't decide to turn on us." He then powered up his Angel Packs thrusters and slowly lifted off of the ground. He was too weak to walk from the loss of blood so this was his only way back to the surface.

The Theta's changed direction back towards the tunnel that would lead Devon and Eric to the surface. Eric again checked his mission timer. He still had nearly an hour and a half before this place came down; more than enough time to escape to the surface and clear the UNSC ground troops out of the danger zone before this place came down. As the two Spartan's flew back into the tunnel, Devon looked over at Eric who was cradling Yuna's tiny, unconscious body in his arms. He said, "You know, if she was a handful for you when she was only a program, I can't imagine what she'll be like now that she's alive." Eric shook his head, "I've known her long enough, you learn to tune her out."


	39. RISE AND FALL

Again, sorry for the delay but I made up for it with this extra long chapter. So enjoy!

(CHAPTER 39) RISE AND FALL

"Attention UNSC fleet surrounding planet Aurora, this is Stealth Cruiser, Phantom of the Galaxy; we are now exiting slip space and nearing the outer edge of the blockade. The Supreme Commander is on board and he requests any and all information regarding the current events of this war." Captain Jim Malchiott observed the sight before him as slip space dissolved from the front viewport of the ships bridge. The Stealth ship was still cloaked and remained invisible to the rest of the UNSC fleet; he was under strict orders from Supreme Commander Drake to stay cloaked until his ship was safely within the UNSC fleet.

He received several replies form other ships in the large formation that surrounded the final Covenant Cruisers that were still orbiting the planet. Captain Malchiott looked out of the front viewport and looked at the surface of the planet. Even from orbit he could tell there was a war going on down below. The ships computer systems showed that the city of Eclipse was directly below them and through the color changing auroras he could see a large cloud of smoke coming from that area of the planet.

Malchiott ran his fingers through his black, spiked hair. He was no different looking than nearly every other ship Captain his age. He was average height with a well formed military body and he even allowed himself to grow a goatee. His only feature that made him stand out was the fact that he had lost his left eye in a battle several years back when shrapnel from a grenade managed to break through his infantry helmets visor.

A few moments later a reply over his ship to ship COM said, "Welcome to Aurora, Phantom. We have a majority of the Covenant ships detained but there are still a few stragglers that need dealing with." "Understood." Malchiott replied. "We will remain cloaked until the Supreme Commander is ready to head planet side." "Roger." The voice said, "Be on alert for stray Covenant ships and engage if necessary." "Right, Phantom of the Galaxy preparing to join blockade forces."

Malchiott cut the communication and an orange flash appeared on a holo panel. He looked over and saw the ships A.I., Phantaria. Her hologram was of a younger girl in her late teens. She wore form fitting ODST combat armor with the helmet clipped to the side of her suit. Her face was nothing less than cheerful and she had shoulder length hair that was tied into two side pony tails towards the back of her head. Phantaria's personality was unique amongst A.I.'s. She would never look for the negative in a situation, but only the positives; her ship could be within seconds from being destroyed and instead of panic she would chirp the reply of, "Well, it could be worse…"

"Well there's some good news Captain." She said happily. "Most of the Covenant ships are already in UNSC control. That means we should have little to no trouble with them." Malchiott looked at his A.I. and said, "I know but still, we have the Supreme Commander on board and if something happens to him it's my ass that gets Court Martialed." "You worry too much." Phantaria replied, "We just need to stay in orbit for a while until their ready for us." Malchiott walked to the front viewport of the bridge and looked at the planet of Aurora. He then said, "I'm still not taking chances, there are still some stray Covenant ships out there that haven't been detained yet, I won't rest easy until their dealt with." Phantaria didn't seem that worried and she replied, "It could be worse, those ships could be firing at us right now." Malchiott sighed, "I hate it when you say that."

(UNDERGROUND) LOCATION: 8.2 MILES FROM "THE PIT"

Eric felt light headed. He didn't know how much blood he had lost but he knew it was enough to land him some hospital time. His Angel Pack still had a lot of burn time left before it would need a recharge. He estimated that it would last long enough for him to make it back to the pit and get him into an evac Pelican. "You doing okay over there, Dude?" Devon asked him. Eric weakly shook his head and said, "Yeah, I just need to take it easy until we get back to the surface." Devon replied, "Don't worry, me and the Theta's will do all of the heavy lifting if we run into any Covenant." Eric looked at his ammo count. He still had a handful of Shotgun shells left but as for his Sniper Rifle, only five rounds remained. He would have to make them last.

Down below, the Theta's sprinted along the surface of the tunnels, occasionally tearing their way through the platoons of Covenant forces that they encountered. Devon and Eric both stayed out of the massive creature's ways and let them do the bulk of the fighting. By this point, both of the Spartans were running low on ammo and energy.

Eric struggled to stay focused. Aside from the effects of his blood loss, he couldn't shake the burning that was coming from the large wound on the side of his abdomen. At least an eight inch section of his torso had been cut by the Elite Major's Plasma Sword. Not deep enough to effect internal organs but enough to cause the Spartan a sever amount of pain and blood loss. It was the one time that he wished he had his Nanites to heal him.

He heard Devon radio to him, "How's she doing?" Eric then looked down at Yuna. Her tiny body still lay unconscious in his arms. "Veil told me that she's fine, she was just overwhelmed. She should be alert again soon." "What is Veil exactly?" Devon asked. "I heard you talking about her back in that room but we didn't exactly have time to swap questions." Eric looked at Yuna and replied, "I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that she is the A.I. that controls this entire underground system and apparently, she has control over this whole planet. I don't even know where to begin explaining it, that's something to ask Yuna." Devon replied, "That's another thing. How could something like this even happen? I mean, she is alive, right?"

Eric simply shook his head. "I don't know." He said softly. "It all seems impossible. When I left her in the Core, she was only a program, and then once this facility was reactivated I thought her system was destroyed because it couldn't handle the power levels." Eric looked over at Devon and continued, "You had no idea how scared I was for her when I thought that happened. As much as she nagged me over the years and for as many times as she yelled at me for doing stupid things while fighting, I can't imagine her not being there with me." Eric paused and said, "And when I made it back to the Core to rescue her, and I saw her moving…, I don't even have the words."

Eric heard Dokuro come on over his COM. "I calculated exactly fifteen trillion possible explanations and reasons as to how this could have happened but even I am stumped. What has happened to me sister is by all logical thought, an impossibility." Dokuro paused and continued. "And yet, I've never been more excited for one of my sisters than I am right now." Their COM's were again filled with the sound of another voice, this one was Veil's. She said in her calm voice, "What has happened here is not an impossibility. She was created in the same manner that the Forerunner's created all of the beings that they ruled over; the Theta's, the Engineer's, even the cloned copies of life that they used to repopulate worlds after the Halo rings were fired. It is the simple act of taking DNA from one being and building onto it to create another life." She paused and said, "I already explained to you that the cut on your finger led to your blood coming in contact with my systems, from that I was able to grant her desire." Eric paused and replied, "What desire; life?" Veil again calmly replied, "No, after her systems were destroyed and in all logical terms she had died, she told me that the one thing that she wanted most was to spend the rest of her existence with her carrier; her carrier being you."

Eric and Devon looked at each other. Dokuro then spoke up and replied, "I always knew that she had a thing for you, Eric. As much as she loved to rant to Mitsuki and I about how stupid you could be, she also would tell us about how much she was grateful to spend every day with you." Devon replied, "And you feel the same way about me too, right Dokuro?" She scoffed and replied, "Please, Cortana got the Spartan I wanted." "You say that but you don't mean it." Devon told her. "You know I'm much more fun to hang out with than John." Dokuro sighed and said, "Yeah, but he's much easier on the eyes."

Ordinarily, hearing Devon and Dokuro argue would bring a smile to Eric's face, but right now he couldn't find the strength to even acknowledge it. He fought off the dizziness in his head and tried to stay focused. He felt Yuna shift in his arms and he looked down at her. She groaned softly and slowly her neon blue eyes began to open. She looked around and quickly refocused herself. "Look who's awake." Eric managed to utter out. Devon looked over and saw Yuna regain consciousness. He glided over near Eric and said to her, "You were always the one that could make me think that my life couldn't get any weirder." Yuna looked over to Devon and replied softly but still with her usual tone of sass, "And what is that supposed to mean?" Devon shrugged and said, "I don't know, maybe the fact that you're human now!" "Well aren't you happy for me?" She asked. "I'm thrilled!" He told her. "You're an honest to god miracle!" He paused and then continued, "But! Every time that I'm on a mission with you and Eric, something crazy ends up happening, and look; craziness has been happening all damn week!"

"Devon, shut up!" Dokuro called out over the COM's. She sighed and then said, "Yuna, we're all amazed and happy for you. You got the chance to live the dream that we always had and wished would happen. And I must say that I'm very jealous of you." "This won't change anything." Yuna replied, "We'll still work together, and we'll still have the same bond as sisters that we always had. The same is towards Mitsuki too."

Eric looked up ahead and saw the T in the tunnels from when he and Devon first split up. He weakly said, "Hey, I hate to cut your moment short but we're almost back to the surface." Both Devon and Yuna looked up and saw the split in the tunnels. "Do you think we still have any of the ODST's still fighting back at the entrance?" Devon asked. Eric shook his head and said, "We're going to find out."

The two glided back up through the tunnel. Neither knew if any of the ODST's had survived. They had barely made it through that fight, let alone if the Helljumper's could survive without their help. "I'm picking up radio signals again." Dokuro announced. "I'm redirecting your COM channels now." Devon nodded and opened his COM. "SPARTAN-69 calling any UNSC forces still in the underground. If you are receiving, respond." A few seconds passed before Devon and Eric both heard the voice of a Helljumper reply, "Thank god. We thought you guys were done when we lost signal." "Negative." Devon replied, "What's your status?" The Helljumper replied, "Not good, there are only a handful of us left. As for the rest of the Covenant, we got most of them but the rest escaped into the underground." Devon replied, "We know, we ran into them, just sit tight, we're almost back to your location. Also, if you see something big and black with a lot of teeth, don't shoot it." There was a pause followed by the Helljumper saying, "Umm…, understood."

A short while later, the two could see the barrier that led into the underground. "Finally." Devon said. "I can't wait to get back into daylight." The two neared the barrier and both landed back on the ground and retracted their Angel Pack's wings. They had been flying for a long amount of time and their power cells needed time to recharge. Eric landed sluggishly as he tried to get his footing. He was finding it hard to stand from his amount of blood loss as well as trying to keep himself focused and from going into shock. They walked up to the large barrier and Veil spoke up. "I'll open this for you." She said calmly. The large door again slowly parted open back out onto the large bridge.

Both Devon and Eric as well as their accompanying Theta's, walked out and saw countless bodies of dead Covenant soldiers as well as the lifeless bodies of ODST's laying on the floor of the bridge. They walked out past the fortified Covenant wall and out onto the bridge span. Eric opened his COM and called out, "Any ODST forces respond and show me your location." He heard a click of static followed by a familiar voice call out, "We're over here, Sir."

He recognized the all jet black armor of Field Commander Anthony Calabrese standing next to an overturned Warthog as he waved them down. Calabrese could see the two Spartans as well as the large jet black creatures heading towards him. He paused and then cautiously asked as he held his Battle Rifle tightly in his grip, "Do I even want to know why those things are following you?" Devon turned and replied, "What?" He looked at the Theta's and back and Calabrese and replied, "Oh! The Theta's. Yeah, they work for us now. Nothing to worry about, just don't piss them off." As Devon walked past, Calabrese replied, "I don't even plan on going near those things."

Yuna looked up at Eric's visor. She didn't need to see his face to tell that he was in pain. Eric's walk was sluggish and she could hear him breathing heavily under his helmet. She softly asked, "Does it hurt bad?" Eric looked down at her and replied weakly, "I just need to rest for a minute. I'll be okay." Yuna replied, "Put me down so you don't have to carry any extra weight, I can walk for a while, it won't kill me." Eric nodded and carefully set her down on the ground. He heard one of the ODST's call out, "We need a medic over here!" Eric looked up. He saw an ODST in black and dark purple armor approach him. He could see the name "Shepard" stenciled onto his chest plate as well as a Sergeant emblem painted on the Helljumper's shoulder plate.

"Hold on Sir." He said. "I'll do a better patch job on you then that Bio-Foam." Shepard motioned him to sit on the ground next to an overturned Warthog. Eric slowly set his battered body down and groaned lightly from the pain. Yuna held onto his arm and helped him keep his balance while he sat. When he was on the ground he pulled his helmet off and set it on the ground next to him. His long blue hair fell into place around his face. He brought up his gloved hand to wipe some of the sweat from his brow as well as making sure he was still able to function. Yuna knelt down in front of him and looked at her Spartan. She could see the pain in his eyes and couldn't understand how he was able to hide it so well.

Shepard looked over at Yuna; she was clearly not in any type of UNSC uniform and didn't even look like she belonged with soldiers. He asked with confusion, "Um…, Sir. Who is this?" Eric replied sluggishly, "Remember my A.I., Yuna? Well, there she is." Shepard looked back at Yuna. He was confused to say the least. "Sir?" He asked. Eric simply replied, "A lot of crazy things happened down there. I wouldn't ask if I were you." "I probably wouldn't understand it even if you told me." He replied.

Shepard poured a clear colored liquid over the Bio-Foam covering Eric's wound. It was a chemical that dissolved Bio-Foam as well as clean out the wound. It also had a reputation for having a nasty burning feeling to it when it was applied. Eric groaned from the pain but did his best to hide it. He felt Yuna's tiny hand grip onto his. He looked over at her and saw the look of worry on her face. Eric forced a grin and said, "Remember those times that you used to call me a pansy when stuff like this was happening to me?" Yuna sighed and said, "Yeah, and I'm regretting it now." Eric forced a small laugh and said, "Yeah, just wait until they use this stuff on the Bio-Foam on your arm." She paused and then said, "I probably deserve that for making fun of you when you had to go through with it." "Sweet, sweet payback." Eric said.

Shepard quickly cleaned out the rest of the old Bio-Foam and then sealed Eric's wound shut with a tissue bonding agent. He then took out a small syringe and injected a tissue building stimulant into his wound to help begin the healing process as well as numb the pain. "That should hold until you can get to a medical team back on the surface." Shepard told him. "We haven't seen any other Covenant forces since they broke through; our guess is that they all fled inside and made the mistake of running into you two and that the Marines topside have that pit pretty much secured." Eric slowly stood back up. He slammed his eyes shut and tried to hide the pain from moving. Yuna quickly grabbed back onto the upper arm plate of his armor and helped him keep his balance while he stood.

"How many of you are left?" Eric asked. Shepard looked over at the remaining ODST's doing various tasks before they returned to the surface. He replied, "Not many, only about nine of us survived. Just about all of us are wounded. Most wounds are minor and some a little more severe. We can still fight though." Eric nodded. "Alright, let's start heading for the pit and then fly out of here." "Sounds good." Shepard said.

Yuna picked up Eric's helmet off of the ground and handed it to her Spartan. He forced a grin past his pain and smiled at her. "Thanks Yu." He told her. She then held onto his arm and helped him head over toward the other ODST's. Eric saw Calabrese approach him. "I've got a Hog ready for you Sir, just follow me." Eric nodded and walked over to where the other ODST's were preparing to head back topside. As Calabrese led Eric and Yuna to the Warthog he asked, "So I'm not going to even bother being blunt about it, "That girl is your A.I. isn't she?" Eric replied, "Well, she was until… well… hell I still can't explain it. In short, she was interfaced with the Core of the facility, it was reactivated and then this happened." Yuna spoke up. "I was created though his DNA. The A.I. of this underground network gave me life after my systems were destroyed. Just like how the Forerunner's created the Theta's, as well as every other species that they repopulated worlds with. Simple reanimation through DNA and a body structure." Yuna pulled her former data chip out of her robes pocket. She held it up and continued. "And just like how I used to live in this chip, we have the A.I. of this facility securely in our possession in my old data crystal to keep her out of Covenant hands."

Veil's figure then appeared. Her hologram spoke in its usual soft, monotone voice, "That is correct. My creators used DNA reanimation to repopulate worlds after the Halo Installations were activated. Were it not for that technology you would not be here today." Calabrese looked at the hologram of the pure white girl. He slowly shook his head and asked, "And you were able to give an A.I. life through that process?" Veil calmly replied, "That is correct, the one you call Spartan managed to leave a sample of his DNA in the form of a drop of blood on my Core. From that I use his gene structure to give her A.I. a living body." Eric then looked at Calabrese and said, "I need you to do something for me." Calabrese replied, "Anything." Eric continued, "I need you and the rest of your squad to keep this on the down low from any other UNSC personnel until Dr. Halsey has had a chance to examine her. I don't want her getting into ONI's hands." Calabrese completely understood. He knew how ONI operated and without the first word from Dr. Halsey, Yuna would become ONI's lab rat. He nodded and replied, "I completely understand. You don't have anything to worry about." "Thank you." Eric told him.

Yuna looked up at Calabrese as they walked. She said softly. "I know how ONI works. They'll want your helmet cam footage and I know I'm on it as well as the conversation we're having now. I want you and the rest of your squad to delete that footage as soon as we're out of this hole. We don't need it falling into the wrong hands." "Yes Ma'am." He replied.

Eric and Yuna walked up to a battle damaged Warthog. The alloy was covered in plasma burns and the front windshield was spider webbed with cracks. "It's not the best looking vehicle but she'll get us back to the pit." Eric hopped up into the passenger seat and replied, "Doesn't matter, just as long as it still moves, I've driven worse." Yuna looked at the vehicle and said, "And where am I riding, the Gauss turret?" She felt someone lift her up and help her into the passenger seat. From there, Eric reached out and set her down on his lap. Yuna looked over and saw Devon. He said, "Yeah, like we would put you on a gun that's five times your size!" Devon then hopped up into the Gauss turret and said, "I'm always the gunner, you should know this." Yuna raised an eyebrow and replied, "I know how to fire weapons you know." "Relax," Eric told her as he held her in place on his lap with his arms. "You can ride up here with me."

Calabrese jumped into the driver's seat and opened his team COM and said, "Mount up! We're heading topside." The ODST's quickly grabbed their gear and helped one another as well as the wounded into other Warthog's. Calabrese then headed back for the tunnel that would take them to the pit.

Yuna focused her thoughts and then the Theta's took formation behind them incase anything should ambush them. "I told the Theta's to guard us while we head topside. Nothing is going to get to us." She said. Eric nodded and said, "Where was that little mind trick back when one of those things was whooping my ass in the glass fields?" "Hey!" Yuna shot back, "We still thought they were a type of Covenant back then." Calabrese cut in and asked, "So they aren't Covenant?" "No," Yuna replied, "They're a Forerunner species that was created to combat the Flood outbreak. These ones have been in stasis since that happened and now their working for us." Calabrese looked in the rear view mirror and mumbled, "Just as long as they stay that way."

The small group of Warthog's worked their way back towards the surface. It was only about a ten minute ride until they were topside again. Yuna heard Veil's voice. "What? How can this be?" She asked with worry. Yuna pulled out Veil's chip and her hologram appeared on the data crystal. "What is it?" Yuna asked. Veil replied, "Something is wrong." "What is?" Eric asked. Veil continued, "The Core is sensing that I'm leaving the facility and it's overriding my timed self destruct sequence." "What does that mean?" Eric asked. Veil replied, "It means that it's automatically engaging a self destruct sequence to prevent me from leaving. The facility is assuming that I have been captured and it will try to terminate this area as well as myself before we can escape back to the surface." "How long do we have?" Devon asked. Instantly, a large explosion burst through the large tunnel wall. Veil continued, "As you can see, not very long! I estimate ten minutes if we're lucky." "Step on it!" Eric yelled to Calabrese.

The Warthog's; as well as the Theta's, sped through the tunnels. Even in the vehicles, the feeling of the facility shaking from distant explosions rocked the escaping Marines. As they drove, more explosions burst through the tunnel walls as well as large sections crashing to the ground. "Can't you do something about this, Veil?" Eric called out. Veil replied, "I apologize but I have no power over this when I'm not in the core. I need to be in the system to actually shut it down." From behind them, another explosion tore through the tunnel walls. This one hit one of the Theta's. The creature shrieked and stumbled from the sudden blast. Yuna turned her head and looked at the Theta. She instantly focused her thoughts towards the creature. "You're alright," She told it reassuringly. "Just keep moving. We need all the help we can get from you." From behind she could see the Theta shake off the effects of the blast and keep moving.

Through his helmet's speakers, Eric could hear the sounds of static followed by the radio chatter of the UNSC forces that were guarding the pit. "I think we have a connection with the surface." He called out. He quickly opened up his COM and called out. "This is SPARTAN-45, am I being heard? Over." He heard static followed by a soldier replying. "Yes Sir Master Chief, we were worried when we lost contact with your platoon." Eric quickly replied, "Forget that, evacuate all of your ground forces immediately!" "What do you mean evacuate? We just secured this perimeter." Eric quickly shot back, "Because this area is coming down and so is the pit! Get all of your men in the surrounding area to at least five miles of this location and send two evac birds down to extract us!" The Marine quickly replied, "Yes Sir, sending out order's now!"

Up ahead they could see the tunnel end and once again saw the charred rocks that were encrusted with ashen glass. They had made it back to the pit. Devon opened his team COM and called out. "Alright, I want everyone to prep for emergency evac! As soon as we see those Pelican's jump in and don't fall behind unless you want to be buried alive!" "Yes Sir!" All of the ODST's responded.

More explosions rocked the tunnel as the Warthog's sped back onto the charred surface of the pit. Eric looked up and activated the zoom on his visor and he saw no sign of the Pelican's yet. He looked around and saw several of the ODST's jumping out of their vehicles and waiting for their ride out. Eric did the same. He helped Yuna onto the ground and he forced himself out trying to ignore his pain.

Dokuro then called out, "I'm detecting movement, and it's not ours!" Devon quickly turned his Gauss Turret towards the NAV marker that Dokuro had uploaded into her Spartans visor. Devon looked around and couldn't find any targets. "Everyone, weapons ready!" He shouted. Eric pulled his Shotgun off of his back and loaded fresh rounds into the chamber that he had found in the Warthog. He then noticed an M6 pistol sitting in the Warthog's cargo compartment. He looked at Calabrese and asked, "Hey, do you need this?" The ODST replied, "No, take it." Eric nodded and handed the pistol to Yuna. "Here, in case you need it." She looked kind of surprised. Eric asked, "What, I thought you knew how to fire weapons." She looked at her Spartan and replied, "I do, but after the Shotgun incident back near the Core, I'm not sure I want to." "Relax," Eric told her, "It's only a pistol, just grip it tight and shoot." "Aren't you supposed to be the one protecting me?" She asked. Eric continued to survey the area for enemies and said, "Yeah, but I can't get them all by myself."

Devon saw movement and quickly squeezed the Gauss Cannon's trigger. The cannon made a loud clang as it fired a round at the movement. In the shadow's, Devon could see the body of an Elite go flying. "Got one." He called out. Out of the darkness, he could see the glow of a line of charging plasma weapons. "And you pissed the rest off!" Dokuro sighed. In an instant, countless balls of plasma were flying towards Devon's location. "Not good!" He yelled as he bailed from his Warthog. "Got a situation here!" He called out over the COM. Eric quickly turned and saw a line of Covenant forces charging towards his direction. He instantly put Yuna behind him and took aim. "Stay low!" He told her. "Just let me do the work." "But you're still injured!" She protested. "That doesn't mean that this battle will slow down just for me, I'll be fine, you just stay behind me!"

Yuna wanted to argue but stopped herself. She crouched down behind the safety of her Spartan as she saw him pull up his Shotgun and pump a fresh round into the chamber. She soon realized how much different it was to be around her Spartan in real life during a battle rather than to be interfaced with him. She had never realized it when she was still an A.I. She was programmed to only focus on his mission, not his personality when he fought. Any other time when she would interact with him was on her own will. Now she was seeing how different he acted through real thoughts and not her system analysis. Even though he was badly wounded and suffering from blood loss, he still had a job to do. She watched as his Military discipline kicked in and watched as he readied himself for battle.

The ODST's began unloading rounds from both Battle, and Assault Rifles towards the Covenant troops. Grunts toppled over like stationary shooting targets and the Elite's energy shields glowed a ghostly blue in the darkness of the pit. Eric looked back at Yuna and quickly said, "Stay here and keep behind this Warthog. Don't move unless you have too." She didn't even have time to argue before her Spartan took off towards the enemy forces. Yuna could only do as he instructed and she crouched next to the parked Warthog.

Both Eric and Devon sprinted forward and took aim. Devon began to pop off rounds from his Sniper Rifle and Eric began pumping out shots from his Shotgun. The Helljumper's stood next to the Spartans and helped to fight off the Covenant troops. Calabrese fought next to Eric and the green horn, Phil Gowen, fought next to Devon. "I'm not liking this! They just keep coming!" One of the ODST's called out. "Hold your ground!" Eric called out. "We'll stop them." From the darkness, more plasma weaponry could be seen charging as well as lines of Jackal shields activating.

Eric frowned and opened up his COM. "SPARTAN-45 calling surface command, where are our evac birds, we're getting over run down here!" He heard a reply of, "Hold tight Sir, Pelican's are dropping down now." Eric quickly looked up and activated the zoom on his visor. He could see up near the surface, two small dots descending down towards his location. He knew it was the Pelicans. He just hoped that they would reach him in time.

Another loud rumble was heard as another explosion tore through the underground. Yuna jumped in fear form the sudden blast and stumbled backwards. The sudden movement in the distance caught the attention of an Elite in scarlet armor; it snarled and crept around the charred rocks and flanked around the two Spartans and remaining Helljumper's. Its hoofed boots crunched off of the charred surface but it didn't care, it knew the sound of gunfire would cover up its steps. Swiftly, it snuck up to a small pillar of charred, glass covered stone and spotted Yuna crouching behind a human vehicle for safety. It narrowed its eyes and pulled out a Plasma Sword.

In the corner of her eye, Yuna could see an electric blue flash. She turned and saw the Elite holding its Plasma Sword tightly in its grip and staring her down. She felt her fear spike and she tried to scream out for help but couldn't force herself to make a sound. In fear, she pulled out the M6 Pistol that Eric had given her and she shakily took aim. The Elite began to advance forward and Yuna felt herself squeezing the trigger of the Pistol. The weapon kicked hard against her hand and she fought to keep a hold of the weapon. She realized that she had missed and again, out of fear, she fired another round.

The larger Theta that Devon had named Thatius heard the gunfire that wasn't coming from the battle that he and the other Theta's had been helping the humans fight. It snarled and shrieked loudly. Both Eric and Devon turned to see what was wrong and realized that the Theta was charging for the location behind them. "Thatius?" Devon called out. Both Spartan's then realized what was going on. "Yuna!" Eric called out. He instantly spread the wings of his Angel Pack and set it to maximum burn. He instantly lifted off of the ground and flew towards Yuna. He could see her firing off rounds from her Pistol at the oncoming Elite. Eric quickly swapped weapons and pulled out his Sniper Rifle. He had one clip left. He didn't care; he would only need one round for this shot. As he flew towards Yuna in what felt like slow motion, he quickly took aim and readied to squeeze the trigger. As he was about to shoot, the Theta leapt down at the Elite and much like a lizard eating an insect, took the Covenant warrior into its mouth and bit down. He saw the Elite make one final effort to save itself. It took the Plasma Sword that it was holding and stabbed it through the Theta's jaw and pierced it out through the other side. The Theta roared loudly from the pain but still held a firm bite on the Elite.

Devon turned to see his Theta being stabbed and he shouted out, "Thatius!" Eric went to Yuna to make sure she was safe. She instantly dropped her Pistol and ran into the safety of her Spartan's arms. "Are you alright!" He asked. She didn't speak. She was still too afraid to talk. Eric then turned to face the Theta. It opened its mouth and spat out the dead Elite as well as the now deactivated Plasma Sword. Its thick neon green blood was pouring from the wound in both its mouth and face. "He's in a lot of pain." Both Eric and Yuna heard Veil call out. She continued softly, "He will need to be treated or he will soon die from that wound." Devon heard this over his COM. He then called back, "I don't care what the UNSC says, he's coming with us. Thatius saved our asses back there and I'm not ditching him because he's wounded." Eric quickly looked around at the remaining ODST's as well as the Theta's that were aiding them. He replied, "Don't worry, we're all getting out of here."

Another loud explosion rumbled the area and the glow of fire could be seen coming from the tunnel that led into the underground. "We're running out of time!" Veil called out. "We need to leave here immediately!" Almost instantly, a call came in over their COM's saying, "Somebody order an evac team?" Immediately after, the rumble of a Pelican's .50 cal. Chain Gun echoed through the area. Both Eric and Devon looked up to see the Pelican's gunning down the remaining Covenant troops and readying to land for their extraction.

Eric quickly picked up Yuna into his arms and then said to her, "If you say you can tell these Theta's what to do, then tell them to start climbing and head for the surface. We all need to get out of here." Yuna nodded and replied, "Alright." As Eric began to run with her in his arms towards the Pelican's, Yuna closed her neon blue eyes and focused her thoughts. She channeled herself on the Theta's and called out softly, "We thank you for all you have done for us in battle and now we will return the favor by helping you. Head towards the surface and away from this hole. Don't be afraid for you will not be harmed on the surface, we will see to it that you are in safe hands." She could hear the Theta's roar and then begin climbing up the charred walls of the pit.

Devon opened his COM channel to all of the Helljumper's and said, "Trooper's prepare for evac! We're getting out of this hole!" He heard several sharp replies of, "Yes Sir!" Devon then heard one of the Pelican pilots call out over the COM, "What in the hell are those! Open fire!" Devon saw the Pelican's Chain Gun's aim at the Theta's that were making their way up the walls of the pit. He instantly called out, "Stand down! Do not open fire on them! They're with us." "But Sir." The pilot called out. "They're that unknown type of Covenant." Devon replied, "No they aren't! The Covenant apparently found them on other worlds and we're using them against us with some sort of mind alteration. Just trust us on this, leave them alone." The pilot paused and then replied, "…Understood Sir."

The Pelican's weaponry continued to fight off the remaining Covenant troops and then hovered near the floor of the pit. The ODST's quickly boarded the Pelican's and readied to head back to the surface. Eric and Devon both sprinted towards the drop ships. Yuna had to hold her hands over her ears as they neared the Pelican's. Their Chain Gun's were simply too loud for her to stand. Devon hopped on board the first Pelican and Eric jumped onto the second. "We're in!" Eric called out. "Get us out of here before this place comes down on top of us!" He then quickly sat down and held onto Yuna as they took off.

From down below, more explosions began to tear through the walls of the pit. To Eric, it was like being in the bottom of a volcano that was ready to erupt. He still feared being burned alive and didn't want to be around when this place went up. As the Pelicans rose towards the surface, Eric opened his COM and called out. "This is SPARTAN-45 ordering all ground forces to not, I repeat NOT open fire on the Theta's, repeat, do not open fire on the Theta's. They are with us!" He received a reply of, "Sir? What do you mean, Theta?" Devon replied, "The things that we thought were a type of Covenant." "Understood Sir." Came a reply.

Larger explosions began to plume from the charred rock walls of the pit. "Time is up." Veil called out. "The self destruct is now in full effect." Eric frowned under his visor and called out to the pilot's over his COM. "You better get us out of here faster or we're not going to make it back!" "I'm trying," The pilot called out. "These things can only go up so fast!" Eric could feel Yuna's grip tighten on him. He looked down at her and saw her looking out of the back hatch of the Pelican. She didn't speak but she had a look of fear. He nudged her and told her reassuringly, "Don't worry, we'll make it. We always do." Yuna forced a smile and replied with fear. "Don't jinx us!"

Both Eric and Devon heard another wave of static over their COM's. This one was a voice that they thought they might never hear again. It said, "This is SPARTAN-73 to Command, the Chancellor is safe, I repeat, the Chancellor is safe." Devon then called Eric over his COM from the other Pelican, "Well I'll be damned! The bastard did it!" Eric replied, "Yeah, now even if we somehow mess up this escape at least one thing went right today." "Would you quit jinxing us!" Yuna shouted.

Large plumes of fire now burst through the walls of the pit and large masses of charred rock began to crumble and fall into the fiery abyss below. The Pelican's flew higher near the wall of the pit as they fought for speed. They were nearing the surface and had only about another mile to go. Up above, large sections of the pit's wall began to crumble and fall. The Pilot's of both Pelican's immediately took evasive maneuvers in an attempt to dodge the falling debris. A large slab of rock managed to clip the rear, left side engine of the Pelican that Eric and Yuna were riding in. The ship jerked violently knocking Yuna from Eric's grip. Both Eric and Yuna fell to the metal floor of the Pelican as the ships weight shifted and tilted upwards. Yuna felt herself sliding back towards the open hatch of the Pelican. Several of the ODST's reached out to grab onto her. Calabrese's fingertips brushed against hers as she slid by but he failed to grab a hold of her. "No!" He called out as she slid closer towards the rear hatch.

Eric quickly stumbled to his feet and rushed toward Yuna to try and pull her back. The Pelican was still in too steep of a climb and Yuna felt herself sliding closer to the rear hatch as she tried to grab a hold of the smooth metal surface of the Pelican's floor. She screamed out in terror as she felt herself fall out of the back hatch of the Pelican and begin to fall into the now fire engulfed pit. "Yuna!" Eric called out as he sprinted for the rear hatch and leapt out. He instantly spread the wings of his Angel Pack and attempted to fire up the thrusters. They failed to ignite. A warning flashed up on his visors HUD saying,

PACK THRUSTER SYSTEMS STATUS: OVER HEATED

AUTO COOL DOWN PROCEDURE: ACTIVATED

THRUSTERS TEMPORARILY DISABLED

"You've got to be shitting me!" he yelled out. He folded his wings into a delta shape and began to dive towards Yuna. He could see her several hundred feet below him in a freefall. She cried out in fear and she reached out for her Spartan. Devon saw what had happened from his Pelican. "Shit!" he cursed as he too sprinted out the back hatch of the Pelican and began to dive.

As Eric and Yuna fell, explosions erupted all around them. Some were uneasily close to both of them but down below was what worried him the most. Near the floor of the pit was now one massive raging inferno. Eric laid his body in a flat vertical line and felt himself gaining speed. "Hang on Yuna!" He called out to her. He was closing in on her and soon he was within grabbing distance. Yuna frantically reached out for her Spartan as tears of fear splashed from her eyes and out into freefall. He made several quick adjustments and then reached his arms out and grabbed onto Yuna. He quickly pulled her into his arms and she gripped onto him for dear life. He held onto her tightly in freefall and he could tell she was crying. "You're alright, I got you." He then spread the wings of his Angel Pack to slow his descent but was now facing the fact that he had no way to fly back up. He attempted to do an override on his Pack's systems but couldn't get it to deactivate the cool down. "Come on you piece of shit!" He looked down as he cradled Yuna in his arms. The massive balls of flame were now getting closer as the pit was crumbling around them.

He tried again and fought to get the thrusters to activate. "Come on! Start!" He shouted. He then heard Devon over his COM say, "I got yah!" He looked up and saw Devon reach out and place his hand on the back of his Angel Pack. He called out, "Dokuro! Do an over ride now!" Devon's glove sparked gold as Dokuro quickly did a manual over ride on Eric's Angel Pack. He felt the thruster's jump and flash to life. He quickly tightened his grip on Yuna and said, "Hold on!" As his pack re fired and began to glide back towards the surface. "Thanks for that, Devo." Eric called out. Devon shot back, "You can worship me after we get out of this hellhole; right now just fly!"

The two Spartan's quickly flew towards the surface. Eric heard his COM click on followed by Calabrese's voice, "Nice catch, Sir. I'm sorry I couldn't catch her in time up here." "Don't worry about it," Eric told him, "Just fly as far away from here as you can!"

Eric and Devon were now at the surface. They quickly looked around and saw the ground cracking and the large sky scrapers crashing to the ground. It almost looked like a massive earthquake were hitting the city. They could also see the Theta's fleeing to a safe distance. Suddenly everything went quiet and all they could hear was Veil's echoed voice say, "Time has expired." Almost instantly, a massive explosion that resembled a large mushroom cloud erupted form the pit. The shockwave shook the Spartan's even in midair. Eric quickly folded the wings of his Angel Pack around himself and Yuna to shield her from the blast. He then felt his pack shudder and die as the thrusters once again over heated from being at maximum burn. As he began to fall towards the surface, he felt Devon grab onto the back of his suit and fly him away under his own power.

He looked back and could see a large plume of fire heading towards himself and Devon. "Oh not good!" Eric called out. Devon looked back and saw the large fiery mushroom cloud expanding out. In his mind he knew what needed to be done. As of right now, he knew that Eric and Yuna were more valuable to this war than he was. He quickly opened his COM to Eric, "You tell them that I saved your ass for once, you hear me?" he asked with an unusually calm voice. "What are you saying!" Eric argued. "You heard me." Devon replied, "You saved my ass one too many times before this battle even started; now it's my turn to do the same for you." "Don't you do it!" Eric argued. "We're a team remember!" Devon cracked a smile and said calmly, "Then you make sure our team wins." He then called out, "Dokuro, transfer my remaining power supply to his pack and initiate emergency thrust, now!" Dokuro didn't reply, she knew what was about to happen and she didn't fight back. She was having the same thoughts as her Spartan, she knew the golden rule of do whatever it takes to complete the mission, even if it mean taking her own life. She quickly drained the power from Devon's Angel Pack and transferred it through to Eric's. Before Eric's thrusters reignited, he said, "And Eric…, tell Anna that I love her." The thrusters on Eric's Angel Pack began to power up. "Go get em'." Devon called out.

"No!" Eric called out as he felt Dokuro once again override his pack and felt it thrust forward. Everything in his mind told him to stop and go back for his friend but he couldn't, he had a mission to complete and he had Yuna's life in his hands. All he could do was look back and see the large fireball engulf his friend and watch him vanish within the burning hell. "Devon you bastard!" He called out in frustration. "You stupid bastard!" He wanted to rescue his friend but he couldn't. Yuna wasn't protected against that kind of explosion and he doubted that even his own armor could withstand that. He could only turn his head and shut his eyes. His best friend was now dead, he died saving his life and Yuna's in exchange for his own.

The fireball then stopped expanding outward and began to rise into the sky. Seconds after the fireball receded his Angel Pack again lost power and died. This time, warning alert's flashed on his visor saying, "Internal system's critical due to extreme temperature. Thruster number 1 deactivated. Thruster number 2 overheated."

The Spartan quickly turned on his back so it would take the force of the hit. He then tightened his grip on Yuna and said, "Hang on, Yuna, this might hurt!" She simply nodded and held on. She too didn't want to talk because of what had just happened to Devon and Dokuro. Her emotions filled with sorrow and she wanted to cry but she didn't. Eric then felt the hard hit on his back as he impacted with the surface. The wind was instantly knocked from his lungs and he saw his vision blur. He bounced several times before sliding to a halt. He held onto Yuna. She was still conscious but he could tell the landing hurt her.

He slid to a stop and lay motionless on his back. The impact sent a shock of pain through his already wounded abdomen and he felt his wound open up again. He yelled out in pain and tried to keep himself from going into shock. Aside from the pain, something caught his attention. He looked up and saw what he thought was a piece of burning debris flying from the explosion. He could see the charred cobalt blue and white armor sailing through the air and heading towards his location. He could see movement. Devon was still alive and he was beating his hands off of his armor in an attempt to put out the flames that were still on him. Over the COM he could hear Devon yelling out, "Ahh! That sucked!" He then saw him arch over with a trail of black smoke following him and finally watching him crash land nearly fifty feet from his location. Eric wanted to move to help his friend but he couldn't. His wounded abdomen was throbbing and he knew had had just injured himself further. Yuna was also aware of this. He didn't even need to tell her. She stumbled to her feet and as fast as she could, ran towards Devon. She found him lying in a small crater that he had made when he hit and saw that he was still burning. Devon began to pat out the flames on his armor and Yuna attempted to help. She saw a discarded, torn piece of clothing lying on the ground next to her; it looked like a t-shirt that was left by an evacuating civilian from when the war started. She quickly picked it up and began to assist Devon in putting the flames out.

Devon patted out the last of the flames and felt the pain surge through his body. He groaned from the burns as well as the impact wounds that he had suffered from the hard hit. He felt himself beginning to black out. He opened his COM to Eric and said, "God, the shit we have to put up with…" Eric then replied, "Yeah, that one sucked. Hey Devo, I think I'm just gonna go ahead and not get up from this one…" And with that, both Eric and Devon blacked out.

Yuna's eyes widened. She looked around in a panic and saw a large plume of fire coming from the now collapsed pit as well as skyscrapers that had collapsed during the explosion. Yuna quickly reached around to the back of Devon's helmet and pulled out Dokuro's chip. Dokuro's hologram immediately appeared on her chips data crystal and she said, "We need to get him to the medics. His armor systems took a hard beating and I can't deploy the Nanites to help him." Yuna nodded and then ran back over to Eric. She said to Dokuro, "I need you to open his COM link for me." Dokuro focused her thoughts towards Eric's unconscious body and hacked her way into his systems and patched his COM channel through to her chip. "You're linked." Dokuro said.

Yuna quickly called out, "This is Yuna calling UNSC Outpost Bravo. SPARTANS-45 and 69 are down and need immediate medical evac ASAP; sending you locations now!" Yuna then looked at Dokuro and said, "Show them our position." Dokuro nodded and replied, "Already sent, Sis." A soldier form the base called back, "Understood Ma'am. We have a Pelican en route."

Yuna heard heavy footsteps and looked up to see one of the Theta's standing over her. It was Devon's Theta, Thatius. It knelt down and looked at her. She noticed the large wound on its face from the Elite's Plasma Sword that had punctured it back in the pit. She stood and walked over to the Theta and genteelly rubbed her hand on the Theta's face. She calmly said, "Thank you for all of your help. I'll see to it that your wounds are treated." The Theta nodded its head slightly as if to thank her. Yuna then turned to face the two downed Spartan's. She held Dokuro's chip and both of them looked at the scene before them. "I told you they were both idiots." Dokuro said. Yuna sighed and said calmly, "Yes, but their our idiots."


	40. SECRET

The underground is done! We're onto the last section of this story, it's nearing the end.

SECTION 3 - FINAL RUN

(CHAPTER 40) SECRET

Over the roar of the flames that were still erupting from the now collapsed pit, Yuna could hear the rumble of a Pelican's thrusters, and over Dokuro's COM, she heard a pilots voice say, "Medical Evac inbound. Sit tight." Yuna had been sitting next to Eric, keeping pressure on his wounded abdomen to keep him from bleeding out. With the Pelican approaching, she quickly opened the belt pouch of Eric's armor. She found a signal flare and she quickly took the device into her hand. She quickly pulled the pin from the device and tossed it away from her location. The device made a loud pop and green smoke began to spew from it. She watched as the Pelican circled her location and finally began to descend towards the surface.

Again, over Dokuro's COM, Yuna heard the pilot call out, "I have a visual on both SPARTAN's as well as a civilian female." "Civilian?" Yuna said to herself. Dokuro's hologram appeared on the data crystal of her chip and she replied, "Well you are human now and everyone who knew you in the UNSC knows you as an A.I., so don't be surprised if things are a little awkward for you at first." "I don't care," Yuna replied, "I just want to get Devon and Eric back to the medics." Dokuro nodded, "I know, and so do I. But now the Evac is here, everything is fine now."

Dust and ash blew from the ruins of the city street as the Pelican landed. Immediately, a crew of UNSC troops piled out from the back of the drop ship and rushed over to the Spartans. Both teams were pushing motorized carts that were meant for moving heavy objects. In this case, they were meant for the two Spartans. A team of medics quickly looked over Eric's unconscious body, and Yuna could see one re inject Bio-Foam into the reopened wound on his abdomen. She then saw a Soldier approached her. He called out, "Miss, what are you doing here? You need to get to an evac craft!" Yuna raised an eyebrow as the soldier continued, "You should even be this close to this location." He looked at the Spartan's and said, "It's dangerous to be this close to the Spartan's." Yuna cocked her hips in her sassy pose and replied, "What are you talking about, those two are harmless as long as you're on their side. I've held 45's leash for years." The Soldier was confused. "Miss?" He asked. Yuna stood and watched as the crew carefully attached straps to Eric's MJOLNIR armor. As they lifted his unconscious body onto the motorized carts she said, "I've seen a lot of things in the UNSC, and I know so much about the SPARTAN program that it would make your head spin." Dokuro's figure then appeared and she said, "She is telling the truth. Now please, let her aboard the Pelican with her Spartan and return us back to Outpost Bravo, she has an important assignment to finish." The Soldier was obviously confused. The fact of a young girl wearing a strange white robe with her unusually long sky blue hair as well as her claiming to belong to one of the Spartan's was something that he would never have expected to hear. Yuna sighed as she walked alongside the cart wheeling Eric to the Pelican. She said, "Look; I'm UNSC, don't worry; if you don't believe me, just as Dr. Halsey when we arrive back at the base."

Another loud explosion was heard coming from the pit and the ground shook and cracked around them. The Soldier quickly replied, "This area isn't stable, just forget it and hop onboard." Yuna nodded and continued towards the Pelican while resting her tiny hand on the forearm plate of Eric's armor.

Both Eric and Devon were wheeled into the rear section of the drop ship and their carts were locked into place. Yuna sat down in one of the chairs next to the head of Eric's cart. This time she strapped herself in to prevent what happened to her when they were escaping from the pit. The interior of the Pelican rumbled as the thrusters powered up and the ship lifted off of the ground and took flight. Over the ships intercom the pilot called out, "We'll be back at the base in roughly thirty minutes, so you all may as well just relax." Yuna looked over at her Spartan. He was motionless minus the slow movements of his chest plate from his breathing. Yuna looked over at one of the medics that were examining Devon. She heard them talking amongst themselves about Devon's condition. They were saying that he had burns over twenty percent of his body and some various other minor injuries. She called out, "Do you have a spare Bio-Monitor that I can use?" The one medic looked over at her and replied, "Yeah, in the front compartment, but do you even know how to use it?" Yuna unhooked her seatbelt and went to the compartment and pulled out a small black hard shell case. She replied, "Of course, working with these two apes you learn how to use the health monitors." She then went back to Eric and set the small box down on the cart next to him.

Carefully, she pulled his helmet off and set it on one of the seats behind her. She then paused and looked at Eric. He was lying with his eyes closed and his long electric blue hair was draped over his face. His face looked weak and tired, and a small trickle of blood was dripping down from his mouth. Yuna sighed as she carefully brushed his hair out of his face. She then opened up a small med kit and pulled out a sterile cloth and whipped the blood from his chin. She then carefully put her hand behind his neck and lifted his head up, then attached the Bio-Monitor to the back of his neck and activated it. His stats instantly appeared on a small screen on the Bio-Monitor.

It showed he was suffering from a concussion, sever blood loss as well as form the large laceration on his abdomen. Yuna then called out, "Do you have type A- blood aboard? He needs it bad." The medic called back, "Negative, we were the closest evac team to your location when your call came in; we didn't have time to restock before we got to you. Can he make it back?" Yuna looked back at Eric and replied, "As long as this bio-foam holds." "Understood." The medic replied, "We'll be back at the base as soon as we can." Yuna then rested her hand on Eric's glove and held his hand. She whispered to him, "Hang on Soldier Boy."

(UNSC OUTPOST BRAVO) –Dr. Halsey's office

Dr. Halsey sighed as she finally got a minute to herself in her office. With the reports in that the Chancellor was back in UNSC hands and SPARTAN-73's success on his rescue mission, she could breathe slightly easier. However she was still uncertain of the status of both Eric and Devon. She hadn't heard anything on them since contact was lost with them when they went underground; she didn't even know if they were still alive. Regardless, she hadn't slept very well in the past few days that she was on Aurora and figured that now would be a perfect time to catch up on her rest.

She leaned back in her chair and slowly closed her gray blue eyes and exhaled deeply as she allowed herself to relax. She could finally, after several days of dealing with her Spartan's in nonstop combat, relax and just rest easy for a moment. Much to her dismay, that moment was short lived. She heard the intercom in her office click on followed by the sound of some unseen persons voice say, "Dr. Halsey, you are needed in the hanger bay, "Spartan's 45 and 69 are returning and both have sustained substantial injuries." Dr. Halsey didn't react. She simply sighed and said back, "I'll be right there."

She slowly got up from her chair and stood. Hearing reports of her Spartan's being injured wasn't uncommon; in fact, it was an all too familiar report that she often got. Still, she couldn't help but feel a small feeling of worry deep within her. As much as she hated to admit it, she often times looked to all of her Spartan's as her children.

She then quickly sent a message to Anna informing her of the situation. Anna would no doubt want to see Devon when he got back. Still, she didn't know how bad both of the Spartan's were injured, and she herself didn't know what to expect. She then headed out of her office and back up to the surface to await the drop ship.

Meanwhile, Anna was heading back towards the room that she and Devon were assigned. Her shift was over and needless to say, she was feeling quite proud of the commendation that she was awarded for assisting in the defense placement of artillery around the pit. She heard her PDA chime. She unhooked it from her polished belt and looked at the device. It said on the screen, "INCOMING CALL" she tapped the answer button on its touch screen and said, "Hello, Anna Kurauchi speaking." She heard the voice of the bases A.I. Victoria, "Miss Kurauchi, I apologize for bothering you while you're on duty but I thought I should inform you of this." "What is it?" Anna asked. Victoria continued in her proper voice, "I wanted to inform you that SPARTAN-73's mission was a success, Chancellor Izumi has been rescued and is back in the safety of the UNSC's hands." Anna's eyes widened and she felt an extreme sense of relief and happiness wash over her. She instantly felt tears of joy trickling down her cheeks as she grasped the words that she had just heard. Her best friend and beloved ruler of Aurora was again safe thanks to one of the Spartan's. She stood silent and felt nothing but happiness. Victoria then continued as she cleared her throat. "Miss. Kurauchi, are you still there?" Anna snapped back to attention and replied, "Yes, I'm here. May I see her?" Victoria replied, "I'm afraid that she hasn't returned to the base yet; her, and SPARTAN-73 have yet to be extracted from their landing location." Anna closed her eyes and nodded. With a sigh of relief, she said, "I understand, let me know as soon as they return." Victoria's proper voice replied, "Of course."

Anna ended the call on her PDA. She was about to reattach it to her belt when she again heard the device chime. She pulled the PDA back up and looked at it; it said on its small screen. "NEW MESSAGE." Anna tapped the screen with her slender finger and pulled up the message. It was from Dr. Halsey. It read,

"Before you read this message I want you to stay calm." Immediately after reading that first line, her adrenaline instantly spiked with fear. She quickly continued reading. "Both Devon and Eric were involved in large scale combat. Both are on their way back to the base and both are in pretty bad shape. I haven't been informed completely on the details and I don't even have the medic's full report yet, but I do know that Devon has sustained several injuries and he is being transported back to the base as we speak. Again, I need you to remain calm and head down to the medical bay. I will send you information as to which room he is being taken to as soon as he arrives. I will meet you there."

Anna nearly dropped her PDA while reading the message. Hearing that Devon had been hurt on his mission and not knowing what his condition was or how badly he was injured scared her. She quickly pulled up a map of the base on her PDA and set it to lead her to the medical wing. With her destination set, she dashed off down the halls of the base.

Dr. Halsey stepped out of the elevator that led to the main hanger bay of the base. All around her troops were scrambling to get to their stations and await further instructions from their Commanding Officers. She ignored them and simply walked past everyone without a second thought. She stepped outside of the main hanger and stood on the tarmac and waited for the Pelican to arrive.

A Marine approached her and said, "Ma'am, incoming transmission for you." Dr. Halsey took the radio from the Marines hand and said, "Dr. Halsey." A few moments later she heard he familiar voice of Yuna calling out to her. Her voice seemed different. Not as clear and systematic sounding. She simply passed it off as an effect of the field radio. "We are nearing the base now. Is a medical team on sight?" Dr. Halsey quickly looked around and saw a team of medics standing next to a parked vehicle, all were sanding with med kits so she assumed that they had been deployed for this situation. She replied, "Yes, the team is here." Yuna sighed and said, "Good, because both of them need to get into the medical wing ASAP." Dr. Halsey sighed with frustration and said, "What did those Neanderthals do now? Something stupid I imagine."

There was a pause and Yuna uttered out calmly as she replied back, "They saved my life… and they sustained the injuries because of me." Dr. Halsey was confused; she raised an eyebrow and replied, "Yuna, what happened down there? Are you okay?" At this point, Dr. Halsey could see the Pelican readying to land. As the drop ship touched down and the crew piled out, Yuna uttered out, "I couldn't be better." Dr. Halsey could see the medic's wheel out the motorized carts with both Devon and Eric's unconscious bodies on them. Dr. Halsey then asked, "Where are you? Are you still in Eric's armor?" Halsey could hear Yuna make a small, monotone laugh to herself. She then replied, "No, I'm not." Dr. Halsey looked at the two Spartan's being wheeled by and taken towards the base, she then asked, "Well then, where are… you…"

Dr. Halsey froze. Standing in the back of the pelican, she saw her. She could see the same china dolled faced girl that she knew all too well. She stood in a pure white robe with her ankle length, metallic, sky blue hair blowing gracefully in the breeze. Dr. Halsey's eyes widened and she slowly felt herself dropping the field radio to the ground. She stepped forward uttering to herself. "Impossible…, there's no way…" Yuna slowly stepped off of the Pelican and approached Dr. Halsey. She could see the look of shock on Halsey's face; it wasn't surprising, Yuna had been thinking how this moment would play out since her and Eric were heading back for the surface.

Dr. Halsey stopped when she was in front of Yuna. She couldn't speak; she still didn't even believe what she was seeing. Slowly, she held her hand out and placed it on Yuna's shoulder. "Solid to the touch…" She uttered to herself. She then ran her ringers through Yuna's metallic locks of hair. She again uttered, "Actual strands of hair…" She then genteelly ran her fingers over Yuna's pale cheeks. "Soft, and warm to the touch…" She said under her shocked breaths. Finally, she took notice of the blood on Yuna's sleeve from the Carbine round that had struck her. Halsey ran her fingers over the blood stained area of the robe and said with shock, "Actual blood."

Yuna made a genteel smile, "Dr. Halsey…" She said calmly, "I'm alive." Dr. Halsey began to rant and stammer over her own words. "This is unbelievable… It… it's the greatest event to happen to the scientific world since the invention of the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Drive…" Her hands shook as she attempted to pull her personal data pad out of her lab coats pocket. She fumbled for a few seconds before pulling the device out and began sifting through her data. She again stammered, "How can this have happened…? It's not physically, or logically possible for an A.I. to be alive…"

Yuna genteelly placed her hands over Halsey's. Dr. Halsey immediately froze from her words and looked at Yuna. Yuna then calmly said, "I know exactly what must be going through your head right now, and I sympathize because I felt the same thing when it happened. But I can explain all of this." Dr. Halsey then quickly looked around when she forced herself to get a hold of the situation. She then looked back at Yuna and said, "We need to get you inside and into my office, you're at risk being out in the open like this." Yuna was concerned. "Why's that?" She questioned. Halsey took Yuna's hand and began to pull her into the base. She replied with worry, "Because, ONI can't know about you!" Instantly Yuna's eyes widened. Her fears from earlier had returned about ONI wanting to study her. Dr. Halsey pulled her inside the hanger bay and towards the elevator that would take them deep within the sub levels of the base.

Halsey quickly tapped the button and the doors slid open. She quickly pulled Yuna inside and hit the button for the level that her office was on. As the elevator descended, Yuna asked, "Is it possible for me to see Eric at all? I'm still worried about him, he was hurt pretty bad." Halsey quickly replied, "The big ape will be fine, we have more important things to worry about right now, like keeping you alive!"

Dr. Halsey quickly thought of ways around ONI getting a hold of Yuna. She considered all possible options. She thought that maybe ONI wasn't even aware of her situation, but she immediately scratched that idea. ONI had direct links to all of the A.I.'s that existed, no doubt that they already knew that something had gone wrong with Yuna when whatever did this to her happened. She then considered the fact that maybe the Supreme Commander could make her exempt from ONI testing. "No…" she thought, "ONI and the Supreme Commander were on two completely different levels. The only remaining option for her was to keep Yuna completely under wraps until she could get her away from the UNSC and somewhere safe. Instantly in her mind she knew, easier said than done.

Yuna calmly asked, "Dr. Halsey, is everything alright?" Halsey instantly turned and replied, "No Yuna! Everything is not alright, I'm standing face to face with the biggest achievement in the field of science and I have to keep her out of the wrong hands." Yuna's calm face showed a sign of sadness, she then uttered out, "I didn't want to cause you trouble. Honestly, I had no control over this situation happening." Halsey looked at Yuna and said, "Then who was in control?" Yuna then reached in the pocket of her robe and pulled out her former data chip which now held Veil. The chip's data core glowed with an intense silver, white light. Yuna then said, "The A.I. in my old chip is responsible, she is a very old, very powerful Forerunner A.I. that held control over this entire world. We brought her with us to keep her out of the Covenant's hands."

Halsey reached out and took the chip from Yuna as the elevator neared their level. Halsey quickly put the chip in her lab coats pocket and then looked at Yuna. She said quickly, "Tuck your hair inside that robe and then put the hood up, we need to get you into my office where you are safe." Yuna nodded and quickly pulled the robe off and allowed her hair to flow around her nude body. Halsey did a quick visual examination on Yuna's figure. She had seen female troops nude before, mostly reminiscent of the female Spartans, she indeed had the full figured body of a living human female in her late teens. Yuna quickly put the robe back over herself and put the hood up just as the elevator slowed to a stop. When the doors parted open, Halsey immediately grabbed onto Yuna's hand and pulled her towards her office. Dr. Halsey said under her breath but loud enough so that Yuna could hear, "Just keep your head down and stay quiet."

(OUTPOST BRAVO, UNDERGROUND SECTION 4) TEMPORARY ONI HEADQUARTERS

Senior ONI Officer, Deb Paterson, was sitting behind her desk reviewing footage that troops had sent in from their missions out in the city. She hated this desk job. She was used to being on ships and being a part of overseeing missions, not reviewing them. She sighed and heard her offices door tone chime. "What is it?" She said over the small vid screen. She could see another ONI officer standing at her door. He replied, "Ma'am, the new batch of footage is in from the troops that were down in the pit. Paterson raised an eyebrow and stood up to open her door.

She stood from her chair and stretched her tired body. She was an average build, standing at slightly over five and a half feet tall, she had dark brown, short cropped hair and was in her late thirties. She opened her offices door and asked, "Who's footage is in this?" The other officer replied, "Footage that we collected from the few ODST's who survived down there." Patterson took the envelope of chips from him and then asked, "And what about the Spartan's that were down there. Is their footage included too?" He replied, "No Ma'am. They were both injured when the pit collapsed and are in the medical bay now. No one has had a chance to retrieve their data files yet." Paterson frowned. To her, she looked at the Spartan's as nothing more than a liability. She shook her head and said, "Send someone down to retrieve their data files and bring them to me as soon as you get them." Yes Ma'am." The officer said as he turned and headed back down the halls of the base.

Paterson walked back to her desk and sat down. She opened the envelope and emptied the data chips onto her desk. The small SD cards spilled onto her desk and she quickly counted them. She thought to herself, "Hmm, only ten; looks like the ODST's are having trouble fighting off death." She then took one of the data chips and placed it into her computer and opened the footage.

The footage began with the ODST's leaving for the pit. Nothing interesting, so she fast forwarded the footage to later on. She then watched the footage of the Spartan's using their Angel Packs in the pit. All of it was observed from the ODST's point of view; again, nothing terribly exciting so she again skipped ahead. She began reviewing the footage of the battle that took place in the underground tunnels. This was where things went bad for the ODST's.

When she finished reviewing that battle and watched as the Spartan's flew off into the fortress deep within the tunnels, she again skipped ahead to later on. Still, nothing terribly exciting caught her eye. She then noticed something. In this ODST's footage, as soon as the Spartan's returned, the footage suddenly stopped and didn't continue. She had just passed it off as a faulty data chip and she reviewed the next one; again, nothing different from the previous chip; that was until she arrived at the same time frame when the Spartan's returned. The footage suddenly ended. The same occurred in the remaining data chips of footage.

Instantly, she knew that something was wrong. She took the chip that belonged to Field Commander Calabrese and reviewed it once more. In his footage, right before it cut out, he had a clear shot of SPARTAN-45 approaching him. Something was odd about it though. She did a freeze frame and noticed that it looked like someone was with SPARTAN-45. She zoomed in on the frame and tried to focus it. In the frame, she could see the figure of a person in a white robe with blood on the right arm. "What in the world…" She uttered; knowing obviously that this person wasn't in any type of UNSC uniform or any uniform that she knew of for that matter. She tried to focus on the person. She made several slight adjustments on her computer and discovered that this figure was female, she had the hood of her robe up and she could see traces of sky blue hair from underneath the hood.

Paterson couldn't get any more details than that from the limited footage she had. Clearly though, with all of the footage cutting at the same time period and none of it showing the Spartan's return it was obvious to her that something was being hidden from sight.

She raised an eyebrow and thought to herself. "This obviously has something to do with the Spartan's…" She again focused her thoughts and continued, "Halsey is here now… she holds their leashes, so she might know more about all of this…"

Patterson tapped her finger on a small red button on the holo panel on her desk and within seconds the bases A.I. Victoria appeared. She said in her proper voice, "Good evening Senior Officer Paterson. How may I…" Victoria was cut off as Paterson said harshly, "Cut the crap, I need you to connect me with Dr. Halsey. I have a few things I need to discuss with her." Victoria paused. Even though she was a "Dumb" A.I. and was only programmed with limited capabilities, she didn't really appreciate being spoken to so harshly. Still, she had her orders and she couldn't refuse no matter who it was and if they were being polite to her or not. She simply paused for a few seconds to allow herself to push the ignorance of this woman away and replied, "Yes Ma'am, connecting you with Dr. Halsey now."


	41. TWO PASTS, ONE FUTURE

I have finals coming up so I wanted to get this chapter posted before I'm completely overwhelmed with final projects. So enjoy and expect chapter 42 asap.

(CHAPTER 41) TWO PASTS, ONE FUTURE

It had been nearly two hours since Dr. Halsey had first laid eyes on Yuna. It was as though Halsey had been thrown through a time warp and now found herself four years prior to this event. Back when… Halsey stopped her thoughts. "No." She thought. "This is completely different." She returned her attention back to Yuna who was lying with her eyes closed on a table as a device scanned the length of her body.

The situation had been explained to Halsey and she had been introduced to Veil. She had done nothing but ponder for nearly an hour on everything that Veil had explained to her. She now understood a great deal more about the Forerunners then she previously did thanks to SPARTAN-117's discoveries on Halo. To her, after hearing everything this ancient A.I. had to say, the idea of turning an artificial being human with the aid of DNA and the proper systems and technology, the idea didn't seem all that impossible. The fact of an ancient system using a UNSC A.I. as a template to create a life with the aid of her Spartan's DNA in fact made sense to her. It should only be natural that she be created from her carrier. Halsey knew the deep bond that Yuna shared with Eric but it had never been more apparent to her until this even was laid out in front of her.

As the device scanned Yuna's nude body, Halsey looked over the robe that Yuna was wearing. The fabric was by far the softest and most pure material that she had ever felt. It was as though it was woven from the hair of the gods. The pure white fabric was embroidered with silver markings that resembled the geometric patterns that were often seen on the ancient Forerunner artifacts that had been found. She would look over it later though; she knew that Yuna was her priority over a robe. She walked over to her desk and unlocked a secure lock box in her desk and placed the folded robe inside. She would study it later.

She heard the sound of the machine power down as it finished its scan on Yuna. Halsey walked over to the table where she was laying. In the short amount of time that they had been in Halsey's office, she wasted no time in beginning to attempt to understand how this even happened, and if Yuna was even healthy after the ordeal. She understood the situation a lot better thanks to Veil but she wanted answers of her own. Her biggest one was if Yuna's new body was even able to support itself.

She had given Yuna the standard physical examination, as well as checking Yuna's vision, internal systems, hearing, reflexes, blood work, and even the smaller details such as taste, feeling, and movement. During the scan, Yuna also did a mental evaluation and the results came back as showing that her intellect was beyond genius level. Her intelligence even rivaled Dr. Halsey's. "May I sit up now?" Yuna asked calmly. Halsey nodded as she looked over the results and replied, "Yes." Yuna slowly sat up and folded her arms across her chest to cover herself. She hadn't been alive for long but she knew enough to know that being nude wasn't acceptable in the eyes of the public. She then asked, "Are the tests complete?" As Halsey finished looking over the results, she replied, "Yes, their finished." She noticed that Yuna was attempting to cover her naked body. Halsey then took off her lab coat and put it over Yuna's shoulders. Yuna looked up at Dr. Halsey as she draped the long white coat over her shoulders and helped Yuna pull her long hair out through the collar.

"Thank you." Yuna told her. "You're welcome." Halsey replied. The mood in the room was tense and it made Yuna edgy. She timidly asked. "How did the test results come out?" As Dr. Halsey finished looking over the results she turned to face the young girl. She then calmly replied, "Everything I'm reading as well as everything that I examined myself is telling me that you are a healthy, living, breathing, 18 year old girl with an IQ that makes mine look below average, and that's saying something. You are able to live a normal life as though you have been alive since infancy." Yuna slowly lowered her head and smiled as she looked at her new body. She sat silent for a minute and uttered out, "I can't believe this is reality, this is what I have hoped for since I first met Eric. I've wanted nothing more than to be able to be with him since that time I first saw him."

Dr. Halsey raised an eyebrow. "You know, I could always tell you had a thing for him; long before you met him as an A.I." Yuna looked at Dr. Halsey and asked, "What do you mean? I don't remember ever seeing him before that time." Halsey walked over to one of the monitors in her office and checked its status, she then replied, "I wouldn't expect you too; that was from back when he was still in training as a child." Yuna was confused, she said, "I never saw him as a child. Only his profile pictures from the information that I researched on him." Halsey replied, "You never saw him, but my granddaughter did." "Granddaughter?" Yuna asked.

Halsey again walked over to Yuna with a slight smile on her face, she continued, "You weren't just a random creation of my mind Yuna, when I created you as an A.I., I made you more than just a program, I made you as well as Dokuro, and Mitsuki to be far more than that." Halsey paused and then said, "You three were modeled after my three granddaughters." Yuna's eyes widened. "You mean, I… my sisters and I, were alive before all of this happened?" Halsey sighed and said, "In a way, yes. The three of you were the daughter's of my son and his wife. They were much like how Eric is, your father was from Earth, and your mother was from Aurora. After they married, they lived here on Aurora and from there Dokuro was born first, followed by Yuna, and finally, Mitsuki." "Why wasn't I ever told this?" Yuna questioned. Halsey sighed and said, "Because it was something that was always to hard for me to talk about and I didn't want to trouble the three of you with it; but I think now is the perfect time to open up to someone about it."

Yuna couldn't believe it. This was something that she never knew, even as an A.I. She never knew of Dr. Halsey's son or the fact that she even had grandchildren. Yuna sat silent for a second and then asked, "What happened to them?" Dr. Halsey sighed. She paused for a moment before continuing, "I haven't talked about this for some time now…"

(April 17th, 2519) CASTLE BASE – PLANET REACH

-YUNA - AGE: 6

It was early morning, the sun had only recently risen in Reach's morning sky and the cool smell of dew was fresh in the air. Clouds were rolling down through the towering peaks of the surrounding mountains and birds were singing their morning songs. The scene would have been tranquil were it not for the sound of distant weapon fire from a rifle range and the echo of a drill instructor braking order's to his recruits.

From up in the sky, a transport shuttle from a UNSC ship sped towards the surface. The matte black craft circled around the large military base and then gracefully touched down on a landing pad. As the ships engines slowly died down, the side hatch of the craft swung open. Several members of the ground crew rushed up to the craft and made sure it was docked properly then immediately snapped to attention as its passengers stepped out.

Dr. Halsey was the first to step out into the landing pad. Her long white lab coat and raven hair flowed freely in the morning breeze. She turned and said, "Come on girls. We're running late as it is." From out of the shuttle stepped three young girls. All were Auroran and all looked to be very groggy from their recent stay in cryo sleep aboard the ship they had just came from.

"Grandma, we're tired." Mitsuki told Dr. Halsey. She replied, "I know, and once we get inside you can rest." "There's food in there too right?" Yuna asked as she yawned. "Yes, yes," Halsey told her as she tried to get her three granddaughters in motion. "Once we get inside you can eat and sleep all you want." Halsey started walking towards a large main structure that was roughly a quarter mile from the landing pad. The path took them past multiple fenced in areas where young ODST trainee's could be seen going through their first few weeks of boot.

This was all a new experience for the three young girls. Their mother and father had sent them to be with their grandmother and attend the UNSC Academy on Reach. An academy that only a small handful of children were allowed to enter. They had to have a high intelligence, even at a young age which the girls had. It would be rough for them, not being able to be with their parents but at the same time, the three looked at it as a new and exciting adventure and a chance to spend time with their grandmother.

As they followed their grandmother, one of the fenced in areas in particular caught Yuna's attention. Inside she could see a large number of people who looked to be not much older than her. All of these children within the fence had large black numbers stenciled onto their grey, sweat soaked t-shirts, and all were lined up in separate rows and doing pushups. Separate drill instructors were all pacing down the separate rows of children, yelling and shouting the typical boot order's to them. Through the chaos and yelling, Yuna spotted several of the numbered children. She could see a number 37, 53, 117, 104, and 58. In the front row of children, a group of 4 others seemed to be getting yelled at the most; two boys, one with strawberry blonde hair, the other with sandy blonde. They had the number's 69 and 72, as well as a blonde haired girl with the number 23. Most noticeable of all to Yuna was one boy in particular with short cropped electric blue hair and the number 45 stenciled onto his sweat covered shirt.

"97, 98, 99…, 100!" Who Yuna had assumed was the head Drill Instructor finished counting off the number of pushups he was making the children do. He was an older man with silver-grey hair. He wore camo pants along with a black muscle shirt. No sign of fatigue showed on his face as he stood back up and began yelling again. "That was pitiful!" He called out. "You've all been doing this for months and you still can't hit the triple digits without gasping for breath! Apparently I'm still going too soft on you!" CPO Mendez walked towards the first row of four separate children and yelled, "And who could forget my clan of the sorriest excuses of so called trainee's that I've ever seen." He walked past the four who were standing at attention as they were getting screamed at. As he continued, the blonde haired girl began coughing as she fought to control her breathing. Mendez frowned and turned his attention to her. He quickly put himself directly in front of her and yelled, "Is it just me, or are you trying to steal the attention from me?" The girl quickly replied, "No Sir, I apologize." Immediately after she finished she began coughing again.

Mendez continued yelling, "And there you go again trying to interrupt me with your coughing and hacking! Am I working you to hard missy?" Yuna saw the boy with the blue hair tense and he spoke up. "Leave her alone! She's sick and still isn't better!" Mendez frowned and yelled, "Back in line, 45!" Mendez returned his focus to number 23. "Apparently I'm not training you hard enough or you would be healthy and not hacking all over my training grounds! Go give me 5 laps around the compound 23, and work that cold out of you!" The girl sighed and replied, "…Yes Sir." as she began her long run. "Daisy!" Eric called out as he started to run after her.

Yuna saw the other drill instructors chasing after him. His back was turned to the instructors and she watched as they pulled out long metal rods that sparked with a purple energy. She would later learn that these were stun batons. She watched as one of the drill instructors slammed the stun baton in the center of his shoulder blades. Eric yelled out in pain from the shock and then fell to the ground clutching his chest. Daisy turned and instantly ran back to his aid. She slid to a halt when she heard Mendez yell, "Keep running 23!" Daisy frowned. She looked at Eric with concern on her face and then frowned when she heard Mendez again yell at her. She turned and sprinted off down the path. She hated the drill instructors and most of all, she hated Mendez.

Eric struggled for breath and his vision blurred. He saw the blurred image of large combat boots appear in front of him. As he fought to get back on his feet, he heard Mendez growl, "You have got to be the most stubborn, and irresponsible trainee that I've ever had the misfortune to have under my command!" Eric breathed in heavily and he could taste copper in his mouth. He slowly got back to his feet, looked Mendez in his cold dark eyes and said, "I'm looking out for my teammates. She's sick and she shouldn't be pushing herself to hard until she recovers." Mendez stood silent. He looked at Eric and grinned his teeth as he slowly nodded his head. He replied, "45, don't ever lose that attitude towards your team, and NEVER step out of my formation again!" He powered down his stun baton and said, "Now meet up with 23 and give me 5 around the compound!" Eric sighed and nodded. "Yes Sir." Mendez watched him sprint off down the path that circled CASTLE BASE. He uttered to himself. "That's the attitude of a future commander."

"Yuna!" Halsey called out. Yuna turned and saw her grandmother motioning her over. "I'm coming!" She called back as she ran to meet back up with the others. Halsey watched as her granddaughter ran towards her. Her sky blue hair was down to her mid back and it flowed gracefully in the morning breeze as she ran. "You shouldn't fall behind." Halsey told her. "But Grandma." She replied, "Why are there kids being trained here? I thought the military was only for grownups." Halsey paused for a few seconds and then said, "You shouldn't worry about it. Now let's get inside." The girls walked in behind Dr. Halsey and Yuna turned to get one last look at the children being trained. As the door shut, Mitsuki asked. "What was over there?" "Kids…" Yuna said. "Who was the mean looking guy yelling at?" Dokuro asked. "I'm not sure." Yuna said, "But one of them was from Aurora like us."

(July 14th, 2525) CASTLE BASE – PLANET REACH

-YUNA – AGE: 12

It was almost noon. The sun beamed down on CASTLE BASE as Yuna was making her way to lunch from her morning classes. There was no breeze today and the humidity made it even more miserable. She unclipped her personal PDA from the belt of her white and blue school uniform and checked the temperature reading. It read 101.8 degrees which was way too hot for her. Still, not wanting to be inside during her lunch break, Yuna found a large tree that was near one of the fenced in areas. She walked up to its large trunk and sat herself down next to it in the shade. It felt nice to be out of the sun but the lack of wind and high humidity didn't help with the ever present heat; still, she managed to relax.

"There you are." She heard from behind her. Yuna looked up to see her older sister Dokuro standing under the tree with her. "Yeah." She said back, "I didn't feel like eating inside today. I'm tired of being cooped up in these buildings." Dokuro situated her uniforms skirt and sat down next to her sister and pulled out her own lunch. "I know what you mean." She told her. "With grandma being so busy with her work there isn't much for us to do around here."

From within the fenced in area, the two girls heard the sound of a drill instructor yelling. They both looked up and saw that it was the group of children with the numbers stenciled onto their shirts. They had only caught glimpses of them being trained once every few months. They had managed to learn from Dr. Halsey that the group of children was being trained for a special project that she wouldn't talk about with them. The two sisters sat and ate their lunches while occasionally glancing over at the children as they did rigorous exercises in the blazing heat. Yuna quickly shoveled mouthfuls of food into her mouth trying to finish quickly. "What's the rush?" Dokuro asked. "You're going to choke if you eat like that." Yuna quickly swallowed her last bites and then replied, "I want to go in for a closer look before we have to go back to class." "You can't!" Dokuro argued, "Grandma told us that we aren't supposed to go near them."

Yuna quickly stood up and flung her now lower back length hair off of her chest and back into place. She looked at Dokuro and said, "I'm not going near them, I just want to get a closer look." Yuna quickly headed down the side of the small hill overlooking the fenced in area and then carefully made her way through the bushes near the fence and trying to keep her skirt from getting snagged on twigs. "Yuna!" Dokuro called out in a low voice so she wouldn't get caught sneaking around. "We shouldn't be here; we're going to get in trouble!" "Relax." Yuna told her, "I just want to watch for a few minutes, we rarely ever get to see them."

Dokuro went next to her sister and knelt down. She sighed and said, "Alright, just for a minute, but if grandma yells at us for this, I'm blaming you." "That's fine." Yuna replied, "It was my idea anyway."

The girls watched on as two drill instructors shouted orders at the children as they did their various exercises. All of the children were drenched in sweat and several looked as though they were on the edge of dehydration. "How can they push themselves so hard?" Dokuro asked. "I have no idea." Yuna told her.

A short while later, the drill instructor called out, "Alright! You're done for today. Hit the showers and then report to Déjà' for your afternoon lessons." He then motioned towards the usual front row that the girls had deemed, the trouble makers. "All except for you three." Yuna could clearly see who it was. The two boys with the sandy and strawberry blonde hair and the one with the short cropped electric blue hair.

The large group of children immediately marched off, leaving the three behind. Yuna noticed that the girl that she had seen before was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was mixed in with the rest of the children and she had just missed her. Either way, she continued to watch. The two drill instructors approached the three. Yuna had guessed that they were all age 14 by this point, minus the fact of their well developed body's, they still had the facial features of young teenagers.

Yuna could hear who she assumed was the leading instructor; however, the usual drill instructor that Dr. Halsey had called Chief Mendez was nowhere to be seen. The instructor began to speak in a semi annoyed voice. "You three as well as the rest of the trainees know that a group of your little friends escaped the facility last night." He began to pace back and forth in front of them. "You three are friends with their ring leader; Daisy-023, so that must mean you know where they went." He quickly turned to face the three and shouted, "So spill it, where did they go!" None of the three spoke. "Not going to talk, huh? That's fine. We have other ways of getting the information that we need." Eric shot him an angry glare and then replied, "They left, Sir." The drill instructor spat back, "Well no shit! Why do you think we're having this little talk?" Kalder spoke up and said, "Their actions were unknown to us at the time, Sir. We found out they had escaped when the bases alarms sounded last night." The drill instructor nodded and replied, "Well it's funny that you should mention escape Number 73, considering that it was you three that helped them get out! You let that little tramp 23 just waltz out of this area and escape along with the rest of your little Houdini buddy's." "Daisy isn't a tramp!" Eric shot back. "You were pushing her too hard, she was constantly in pain from the training and the procedures that you put us through, she left because of you and I helped her escape to get her away from the rest of you wannabe soldiers!"

The drill instructor frowned with a look of hate on his face. He shouted back, "Number 45, do you think that I'm going to let that little display of disrespect go unnoticed! If you ever pull that shit again that you did just now, I'll see to it that you're ejected from the program!" Eric frowned. "Yeah, eject me from the program that no one is supposed to know about so I can tell it to the world. Real smart Ranger Rick." He shouted back, "45, I swear to god that if you keep that shit up of disrespecting Instructors that I'll show you a world of hurt!" Eric wasn't phased; he didn't appreciate the fact of someone disrespecting his own team members and especially the one girl that he had actually grown attracted too and who had been a friend to him since he was brought into the program. Eric replied, "Some wannabe soldier who will never have the military record that I'll have when I'm done with this program doesn't scare me. When I hit officer rank, I'll be sure to make sure they let you polish my boots."

Dokuro's eyes widened. "Wow! I'm pretty sure that was a bad move on his part." She said to her sister. The drill instructor quickly brought up his Battle Rifle and lunged it at the young Spartan's face. Eric was to blind with anger to attempt to block the attack. He felt the butt of the weapon slam into his jaw and he heard a crack and a sharp stab of pain shoot through his skull. He grunted out in pain and fell down to his knees as blood quickly began pouring from his mouth. Yuna gasped in shock at what she had just seen. Instantly, both Devon and Kalder readied to attack the drill instructor. Devon quickly balled his hand into a fist and swung at the drill instructor. He heard a harsh voice from behind him yell "Stand down 69!" and his fist instantly froze within an inch of the instructors face. CPO Mendez walked onto the field and said, "69, 73, join the rest of your team, now!" Devon and Kalder both paused for a second and then replied, "…Yes Sir." And the two both ran off towards the woods.

"What the hell are you trying to pull here Sergeant!" Mendez yelled. The drill instructor replied, "Sir, he was being disrespectful to a higher rank when I attempted to confront him about last night's events." Mendez frowned. "You know that subject isn't for you to worry about. Leave that for the Committee!" Eric was down on all fours as he listened to the two argue. He was to blind with rage to even notice that for once Mendez was defending his actions when even he knew that he was out of line. Still, he couldn't let the fact of what the instructor was saying about Daisy go unanswered. His face felt like it was on fire. His lip was split open as well as his chin and he was pretty sure his jaw was fractured. He watched as his blood waterfalled from his mouth and onto the grass. He heard the drill instructor shout, "If you think that these kids are going to be ONI's super weapons, than take this event as a wakeup call. This one here is proof that they are unstable and can't be trusted!" Mendez shouted back, "This one here! Is proof that you clearly aren't fit for this position and don't worry, I will be putting in a request for your discharge from UNSC training after seeing this. Nothing gives an instructor the right to attack a trainee because he isn't man enough to handle insults when their being directed back at him! Now get out of my sight before I have them drag you out!" The instructor frowned and then replied harshly, "…Yes Sir." As he quickly spun on his heel and headed back towards the barracks.

Mendez walked over to Eric and said, "God damn… you've done it now 45. You aided in an escape and then got your ass whooped." Eric struggled to talk. It felt like a knife stabbing him when he moved his jaw. "I was helping my team." "Helping someone from your team go rogue isn't helping your team! You need to learn to stay together." Eric ignored the pain in his jaw and shot back, "Daisy needed out of here, she didn't want this life! None of us did!" Mendez frowned and replied, "Get it through your head now 45, you may hate it here, and lord knows that you hate me, but you have to learn to face challenges and get past them or you'll be killed out there faster than you can blink." Mendez turned and said, "Go to the medics and get yourself cleaned up." As he began walking away he said, "And 45, we won't speak of this again."

Eric was left alone on the training grounds. He stayed down on all fours and allowed himself to calm down. He spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly began to calm himself. Yuna couldn't believe what she had just seen, she couldn't believe how barbaric this place was and that her grandmother knew things like this were happening. She stood up and began heading for a gate that led into the training area. "Where are you going?" Dokuro asked. Yuna replied, "He needs help. I'm not going to leave him there all by himself." As Yuna headed for the gate, Dokuro called back, "But you can't go near them, Grandma told us not to!" Yuna pulled a small white handkerchief out of her skirts pocket and took a bottle of cool water with her. She knew that he needed help and that he had to be in pain. She couldn't stand to see people hurting and she wanted nothing more than to help him.

She went to the fenced gate and reached up to unlatch the gate doors. She felt another hand on top of hers stop her from what she was doing. Yuna looked up to see Dr. Halsey looking down at her. "You aren't to interfere with them." She told her calmly. Yuna shot back, "But Grandma, he's bleeding!" Halsey looked at Eric and said back, "I know, he'll be fine." "But Grandma, I…" Yuna argued back but was stopped mid sentence. Dr. Halsey sternly replied, "Yuna! You aren't to interfere! Do you understand? Eric is strong, he'll be fine." Yuna felt her hand being taken by her grandmother and being led away from the fenced in area. She looked back and watched as he slowly stood and looked at her and Dr. Halsey walking away. Yuna didn't know what to do; he was now looking right at her. She timidly raised her hand up and waved at him. She watched as he wiped a large amount of blood off of his face and then he slowly waved back.

She quickly turned to face the opposite direction and she felt a slight twitch of embarrassment flow through her. In her mind she said to herself, "So his name is Eric."

(AUGUST 1st. 2525) CLASSIFIED ONI CRUISER – IN ORBIT ABOVE PLANET REACH

-YUNA – AGE: 12

Yuna had been instructed to wait in the assigned room that she and her sisters had been assigned to while their grandmother conducted her work. The digital clock on the wall of the room was showing the time that she was used to on the planet's surface. Technically, it was nearing 3am but being in orbit always threw Yuna off as far as time was concerned. The room was dark and was only illuminated by the window that offered her a panoramic view of planet Reach as well as the rest of space.

She lay in her bed staring out into the heavens and not being able to sleep. She knew that the Spartan's were on board this ship and she knew that was what her grandmother was dealing with while she thought that she was asleep with her sisters. It was tricky, but Yuna managed to get her grandmother to explain somewhat of what these children were actually for.

After Yuna had witnessed Number 45 or, Eric, as she learned his name was, getting beaten in the face by the butt end of a Battle Rifle, she was naturally concerned and curious as to why these children were being trained so hard, and more importantly, why these children were even in the military. All Dr. Halsey had told her was this group of children were to become the greatest asset to the UNSC and to protecting mankind. And now that she learned of a new threat to the human race that the UNSC officers were calling "The Covenant" these Spartan's would be more important to the UNSC than ever. It wasn't the complete answer that she was looking for but at least it was a start.

Yuna again groaned as she couldn't force herself to fall asleep. Quietly, she climbed out of her bed, trying not to wake her sisters, and then quickly disrobed and changed back into her school uniform. She quickly situated her uniform and long, lower back length hair and headed out of her assigned room. Out in the corridor of the ship, it was dark. No crew were walking around and there was no sign of any one else around other than herself. Yuna then snuck out of her room and headed down the hall to attempt to find her grandmother.

Thanks to everything she had learned in the UNSC Academy that she and her sisters attended as well as having help from her grandmother, Yuna, at her young age was very good at making her way around any UNSC ship. The maze of corridors didn't seem to phase her. It was almost as though she had walked these halls hundreds of times before. After a while and taking the time to hide from the occasional crew member that was walking around so as to not get caught, she made her way to a large area of the ship. It was the area that her grandmother was doing her work. She knew because of the notes that she had found in her grandmothers note book. This area however was guarded by ONI officers.

This would either go one of two ways for her, either she would simply be turned away, or be allowed access thanks to her relationship to Dr. Halsey. Yuna then took a deep breath and walked forward towards the guarded section of the ship. Instantly one of the guards spotted her and then called out, "Hey, what are you doing here young lady? It's late and you should be in your assigned room." Yuna expected this, and naturally, she had a plan prepared. With fake tears welling up in her eyes, she forced a few fake whimpers and uttered out, "I have trouble sleeping and I have bad dreams unless I take my medicine. I can't find it in my room so I think that Grandma Halsey still has it with her." While still forcing out the fake, but convincing whimpers, the guard sighed and asked, "You're Dr. Halsey's granddaughter?" Yuna nodded as she forced her fake tears out and covered her eyes with her tiny hands.

The guard sighed and said, "Alright, head straight in and go to the first door on the left and don't go anywhere else, do you understand young lady?" Through her fake whimper's she replied, "Uh-uh huh." The guard opened the door and said, "Alright then, go in and go straight to your grandmothers office, okay?" Yuna nodded and then slowly walked past. As soon as the door closed behind her she whipped the fake tears from her bright blue eyes, smiled, and said to herself, "That was too easy."

This area of the ship was brightly lit and the halls were gloss white with blue fiber optic lines glowing along the edges. She walked past a few observation windows that over looked a large number of domed, clean rooms that were used for surgeries. She caught a glimpse of a few of the Spartan children lying on the operation tables inside the domes; however, she didn't recognize any of them. She continued on and found the door that the ONI officer had instructed her to go to. She reached her tiny arm up and tapped the button that would open the door. The door slid open and she instantly heard her grandmother call out, "What is it? I said not to bother me right now." Yuna timidly replied, "I'm sorry grandma, I didn't mean to upset you." Halsey instantly turned and saw Yuna standing timidly, half hidden by the doorway.

"Yuna, what in the world are you doing here? And how did you even get into this area of the ship?" Timidly, Yuna replied, "I kinda… tricked the ONI guards into letting me through." Halsey sighed, "That's the best guards the UNSC can give me? They can't even stop a child from getting past." She then rubbed her fingers on her forehead in frustration and said, "Well, you might as well come in, I can't take you back to your room now so you're stuck here with me for a while, kiddo." Yuna walked in and replied, "I don't mind, I like spending time with you."

Halsey couldn't help but make a small smile towards her granddaughter. Out of the three, she found Yuna to be the most interesting, she was always eager to learn new things, was curious about everything and above all, she had the ability to smooth talk her way past the UNSC, much like she did. Also, much like herself, Yuna possessed her same habit of finding one Spartan in particular that stood out to her. In Dr. Halsey's case, she favored Number 117 while Yuna seemed to favor Number 45; she knew this because of the fact of Yuna constantly asking her if Number 45 had done anything interesting lately or if he was still okay and not getting hurt. She knew what it was, Yuna had stumbled into her first crush; however, Dr. Halsey couldn't allow her to get close to Number 45. As of right now, he was having a tough enough time just making it through all of his training, and now with the threat of the Covenant bearing down on the UNSC, she didn't want him to have any more distractions than he already did.

Yuna walked up to her grandmother's desk and saw the information that was scrolling across the computer monitors. The monitor displayed vital stats for several of the Spartan's and showed a variety of information about the procedures that they had just gone through. "What is all of this?" Yuna asked. Halsey looked at the monitors and then back at Yuna. She sighed and said, "Well, I guess there's no use in keeping all of this from you anymore, you keep learning more and more about the Spartan's so I might as well tell you the rest." "The rest?" Yuna asked.

Dr. Halsey scrolled through the list of Spartan's and pulled up Number 45's information. She then said, "Eric is your favorite Spartan, right?" Yuna felt herself blushing and then uttered out, "Well, I don't really know any of the Spartan's but he's the one I see most often." Halsey made a small grin at her granddaughter's innocence and then continued, "Do you see all of this information here?" Yuna looked at the monitor and saw a long list of different chemicals and other information; all of which she had heard before but didn't really know what they were or even what the long words meant. Even her advanced classes in the academy in CASTLE BASE didn't teach her these terms. Halsey continued, "These are all part of making the Spartan's better soldiers. All of this will be put into their bodies and make them able to move faster, jump higher, react quicker, and be stronger then they could ever imagine."

"So all of these things are going to make their bodies better?" Yuna asked. "That's right." Halsey replied, "These are all part of Genetic Augmentation. All of the Spartan's are going through this right now. Unfortunately though, most aren't responding well to the procedure." Yuna began to get worried, "What happens to the ones that don't respond well to the augmentations?" Dr. Halsey sighed and said, "So far, most of the Spartan's that didn't react well to it have died and others bodies have been pretty much destroyed from the process." Yuna's eyes widened, "And what about Eric, how did he react to them?" Halsey pulled up more of Number 45's stats and replied, "Well, his body seems to have reacted well to the procedure, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up. None of the other Spartan's have woken up from the procedures yet so I don't even know how they will react to it."

Yuna sat silent and looked at the scrolling data that was displayed on Number 45's record. As Yuna sat silent and looked at the file, Dr. Halsey then calmly said, "Yuna." Yuna looked up at her grandmother. Halsey continued, "I don't want you getting too attached to him alright, and you still aren't to interfere with his training. Do you understand?" Yuna silently nodded. Halsey then said, "His life will always be in jeopardy because of what the UNSC will have him do and I don't want you to be part of that." Yuna didn't respond.

A few minutes later, Dr. Halsey said, "It's still late you know and you need to be asleep with your sisters." Halsey stood and Yuna replied, "Yeah, I guess, I just couldn't sleep is all." Halsey replied, "But now you found out a lot more of what you wanted to know right? So now you can rest easier." Yuna shrugged and replied calmly, "I guess so." Dr. Halsey began to lead Yuna to the door. "Nothing is going on so I'll take you back to your room, okay?" As Dr. Halsey went to open the door, she stopped when the door suddenly opened before she had a chance to even activate it. On the other side was CPO Mendez. He had been onboard and supervising the Augmentations of the SPARTAN-II's. He had a rare look of concern on his face.

"What is it?" Dr. Halsey asked with concern. Mendez replied, "Ma'am, Number 45 just woke up from his augmentations and he isn't responding well to them." "Oh no." Halsey replied with worry as she followed Mendez out of the door. She called back, "Yuna I want you to wait here, don't go anywhere else, do you understand?" Before Yuna could protest, her grandmother was already running down the hall towards the recovery rooms.

Instantly, Yuna's mind was filled with fear. She head just heard them say that Number 45 wasn't reacting well to the augmentations. This scared her, she didn't know him that well but still, she didn't want to see him die. Without thinking, she then bolted down the hallway after her grandmother, clearly knowing that she was going to be scolded for not listening but she didn't care at the moment.

She ran as fast as her tiny legs would go down the long, brightly lit corridor trailing after her grandmother and Mendez. She went down a flight of stairs and came to a door. This one had a key code lock on it. Frantically, she thought of what to do and how to get past. She then remembered her grandmother's key code that she used to get around the ship. She had seen it being typed in several times and memorized the numbers. She quickly typed it in and was relieved that the code was correct and the door parted open.

She went inside and found herself in a long dimly lit hallway that almost resembled a hospital and instantly, she heard the sounds of screaming. They sounded like screams of pain and suffering. Quickly, she followed the sound and came to an area that had several of the ships doctor's running back and forth as well as her grandmother and Chief Mendez rushing inside.

Inside, she saw him; Number 45 was thrashing around on the floor of his recovery room screaming out in agony and pain. It looked like he had fallen out of his recovery bed and onto the cold, hard floor. She could also see two of the doctors laying motionless on the floor, she didn't know what had happened to them and for the most part, she didn't care, she only cared about Number 45. She could see her grandmother in the room accompanied by CPO Mendez. "Ma'am, you best not get to close to him while he's like this." Mendez called out, Halsey replied, "I'll be fine, he won't hurt me."

Dr. Halsey knelt down next to Eric as he thrashed around on the floor. She called out, "Eric, I need you to calm down. Fight the pain and try to control yourself!" Eric's teeth grinned in pain and he replied, "It hurts so bad! Everything is burning! Ma'am, please make it stop!" Yuna could see the pain in his emerald green eyes and it made her heart ache. She then walked into the room and said, "Grandma, what's wrong with him?" Halsey immediately turned to her granddaughter and she shouted, "Yuna! I told you to wait in the office for me!" "But I was worried!" She protested. "Mendez!" Halsey then called out, "Keep her behind you so that she doesn't get hurt!" Mendez nodded and quickly reached his arm down to Yuna's shoulder. Yuna looked up into the war hardened face of Mendez. His cold, dark eyes were focused right on her and he said in a deep voice, "Stay behind me Little Lady." Yuna wasn't about to try and sneak around the man that trained the Spartan's. She simply nodded and followed his lead as he pushed her behind his legs. Yuna gripped her tiny, pale hands onto the camo fatigue pants that Mendez was wearing and continued to watch as Halsey tried to help Number 45.

As Eric tried to control his pain, he could hear Halsey arguing with someone but it wasn't making sense to him at the moment, he didn't even know who was in the room with him aside from Dr. Halsey and Mendez. A doctor knelt down next to Halsey with a syringe to try and administer a shot of a drug that would hopefully ease his pain. "Let me do this while you have him calm, Ma'am." The tip of the needle touched Eric's skin and instantly, because of his condition, the needle felt like a hot piece of metal touching him. He instantly yelled from the pain and with lightning quick speed from his newly enhanced reflexes, he slammed his fist into the doctor and sent him flying against the wall. The doctor hit the wall and was left motionless on the floor, either dead or unconscious. Halsey flinched from his actions but she didn't back away knowing that no matter what, Eric wouldn't strike her. "Ma'am, get away from him while he's like this!" Mendez called out. "Wait until we have him restrained!"

Yuna gasped from what she had just witnessed. These Augmentations that her grandmother did to the Spartan's looked like they weren't doing them any good at all, only causing them pain and suffering. She stood behind the protection of Chief Mendez and could only watch and hope for the best. Dr. Halsey saw the syringe lying on the floor that the Doctor had been holding. He carefully picked it up and then carefully laid a hand on Eric's muscled arm. She heard Eric hold back a holler of pain and then saw as he looked up at her with scared, glassy eyes. She knew just how scared he was. He was the first of the Spartan's to wake up from the augmentation process and no one knew how any of them would react or if the others would react the same way.

She calmly said, "Eric, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" Through his sharp breaths that were wrapped in pain, he uttered out, "Yes Ma'am." Halsey gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Good. Now listen to be. I'm going to give you a shot that will help with your pain alright? But I need you to be as calm as possible while I give it to you." She held up the syringe and then asked calmly, "You can do that for me, right." Through his pain, he tried as hard as he could to focus and then replied, "Yes Ma'am." Halsey nodded and said, "Alright."

She then held the needle over his skin and said, "Are you ready?" She saw Eric tighten his now rock hard muscles and nod his head. "Ma'am, you shouldn't do this until he's restrained!" Mendez called out. "Quiet!" She called back. She then looked back to Eric and said, "Alright, take a deep breath for me and you'll feel yourself starting to get tired." Eric took in a ragged pain filled breath and slammed his eyes shut. He again felt the needle hit his pain filled muscles and he immediately yelled out in pain. He wanted to thrash around to get the pain away from his arm but immediately stopped himself realizing that he would injure Dr. Halsey if he did.

In an instant, she had the drug injected and she retracted the needle. "There." She said calmly, "Now just try and relax. It will take effect in a few seconds." Eric nodded through his sharp breaths as he fought the pain. He then realized that Dr. Halsey was right, slowly, he began to feel groggy and his pain was subsiding. He felt disoriented and confused. "Ma'am… what's happening?" He asked sluggishly. Halsey replied, "It's alright, the medicine is kicking in."

Yuna then came out from behind Chief Mendez and walked over to her grandmother. "Stay behind me." Mendez called out but then instantly heard Dr. Halsey reply, "It's alright, he's stable now." Yuna approached her grandmother and then knelt down next to her and Number 45. "He's alright now, but he's in for a rough recovery, I'm sure most of the recruits are." Halsey said calmly as she watched Eric drift off to sleep from the effect of the drug. Yuna was stunned, her bright blue eyes were wide from shock and she then uttered out, "Grandma… how could you do this to them?"


	42. BIRTH OF A WARRIOR

(CHAPTER 42) BIRTH OF A WARRIOR

(August 17th, 2525) CASTLE BASE – PLANET REACH

-YUNA – AGE: 12

It had been two weeks since Yuna had seen the true reality of the SPARTAN-II program. She had thought she had seen it all with the intense training and brutal drill instructors but she had quickly learned that that was only the tip of the iceberg. After what she had seen happen to Number 45 when he had awoken from his augmentations and saw the pain he was in, she couldn't understand how her grandmother could allow this to happen to children that were only a few years older than she was. It was an image that she had burned into her memory; seeing Number 45 thrashing around on the floor of his recovery room, calling out in pain and no one being able to help him.

Yuna sighed as she walked to her early morning classes with her two sisters. Hearing her sister's sigh, Dokuro looked over at Yuna and asked, "What's wrong?" Yuna, not realizing that she was openly showing her distress, quickly regained her composure and replied, "Huh? Oh, nothing… I just… didn't get a lot of sleep last night is all." Dokuro looked slightly worried, but simply replied, "Alright, just checking." Dokuro and Mitsuki went back to talking as they headed to class but Yuna remained silent, lost in thought, and worry for Number 45.

The sky was beginning to darken with storm clouds and in the distance; rumbles of thunder could be heard over the tops of the jagged mountain tops of Reach. "We better get inside." Mitsuki said calmly. "I don't want to get caught outside in a storm." "Alright then." Dokuro replied as the two girls quickened their pace towards the Academy section of CASTLE BASE. Yuna wasn't even paying attention. She didn't snap from her trance until she heard Dokuro call out, "Yuna! Hurry up!" Again, Yuna snapped back to focus and she saw her two sisters already getting way ahead of her. "Wait up!" Yuna called out as she ran towards them.

An hour had passed. Yuna sat with her chin rested on the palm of her hand. She couldn't focus on her studies and oddly enough she didn't care. This wasn't like her at all, Yuna took so much pride in having the best grades in her class and making sure that she was always on top of her studies; but she couldn't focus. All she could do was look out the window that over looked a few of the training grounds that surrounded CASTLE BASE. In the distance she could see lighting and heard the rumbles of thunder and of she found herself slipping from her trance, she could hear her instructor teaching the class about the functions of UNSC ships. This topic ordinarily would interest her, but she couldn't concentrate on it.

As time continued to crawl, she simply couldn't take it anymore. She still had an hour of class time left before her lunch break and she knew that she would go crazy if she had to continue to sit in the class room. She sighed and raised her hand. A few moments later, her teacher then calmly said, "Yes, Ms. Halsey?" Yuna quietly said, "Ma'am, I'm not feeling so well, may I be excused from class early please?" Her teacher nodded and said, "Of course, and why don't you stop by the infirmary on your way out." Yuna simply nodded and stood up. She quickly put all of her books into her small, black hand bag and said, "Yes, Ma'am." And with that, Yuna saluted and slowly walked out of the classroom while holding her handbag in front of her waist with both hands.

She slowly made her way down the halls of the Academy and eventually to the main entrance. Outside, she could see lighting flashing and curtains of rain in the distance. It would be raining soon and she didn't want to be caught in it. She set her handbag down and then quickly pulled her long, sky blue hair up into two small looped tails and then put her school uniforms beret back on her head and headed out the front door.

Outside was windy and humid. The overcast clouds were dark and rumbled with thunder. Yuna ignored it. She wasn't focusing on anything around her. Other older students of the academy as well as UNSC troops walked past her and none acknowledged her and she ignored them as well. She just wanted to get back to her room and rest.

Yuna flinched. A cool drop of rain landed on her pale, china doll cheek and shook her from her trance. She looked up and saw drops of rain beginning to fall. She continued walking and saw as the sidewalk around her began to get dotted with droplets of rain. She had a five minute walk back to the building where her room was and the rain was steadily increasing. She didn't care.

Shortly after, the rainfall became steadier and the rumbles of thunder grew louder. With the storm now on top of CASTLE BASE, Yuna quickened her pace to a run while holding her handbag over her head to try and keep herself dry. She still had a long way to go before she was back at the building where she was staying. She quickly looked around and noticed one of the UNSC troop buildings to her left. She quickly ran to its front door and opened it, and went inside.

Once inside, she looked around and noticed that it was a mess hall for UNCS troops. It was still early in the day so not that many people were in here. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be in a building meant for only troops but she had ways around it. She was Dr. Halsey's granddaughter so if she was scolded for being somewhere that she wasn't supposed to be, she had a good chance of being let off the hook. That and the fact that it was storming outside and she simply wanted to wait for the rain to subside.

She shook the rain water from her hands and saw that the beret, shoulders, and skirt of her uniform were soaked. She sighed and went inside to see if one of the cooks could lend her a towel. She walked in and heard the sounds of her shoes clacking off of the hard floor. The large open cafeteria style room was lined with empty tables and only a few UNSC soldiers were inside this building. She walked back to the food counter and saw one of the cooks preparing large portions of food. She called out, "Excuse me, Sir?" The cook heard the small voice and he looked over and saw it coming from the young Academy student. "Yes, Little Lady?" Yuna then said, "I got caught out in the storm, is it alright if I wait in here until it passes?" The cook nodded and said, "Yeah, you have a few hours until the lunch rush comes in so you should be fine." The cook then grabbed a clean kitchen towel from a cart that was sitting next to him. He then leaned over the counter and said, "Here, you looked soaked to the bone." Yuna smiled and said, "Thank you." The cook nodded and then said, "Feel free to sit anywhere."

Yuna headed for the tables and began to dry herself off with the towel. As she walked, she heard one of the side doors open and she saw him. Number 45 slowly made his way into the mess hall. He was in urban black fatigue pants and a grey t shirt with the number "45" stenciled on the back. He was walking very slowly and taking careful steps. She could see him struggling to hide his pain. He slowly walked towards the food counter and saw one of the cooks approach him. She couldn't hear their conversation but assumed that he was ordering food.

Yuna stayed out of his way and simply watched as she hid herself behind the towel that she was drying herself off with. He grabbed his tray of food and nodded at the cook and then headed over to the table. His black combat boots made dull thumps off of the hard, concrete floor as he slowly walked. She could see the pain in his facial expressions with every step he was taking. She could see him trying to make his way to one of the tables at the opposite end of the room. Why he didn't choose to sit at one of the closer ones was beyond her, maybe he was assigned to that seat, or maybe he was trying to prove to himself that he could make it to the other side of the room and fight his pain off to complete a task.

He slowly walked to the chair at the table and sluggishly set the tray down. She could hear him sigh in frustration. She watched as he sat down and began to eat. His movements were shaky and sluggish and he looked like he was having a hard time trying to control his movements. She could see his muscles erratically moving and twitching in his arms as he moved, as if he wasn't able to control his own movement. She felt pity for him. She knew Number 45 as a strong willed soldier and never showing a sign of weakness; but now he looked as though he were a patient recovering from a terrible car accident. Completely going against her grandmothers rules, she approached Number 45.

Eric struggled with every movement. Even the simplest motions made his muscles ach and behave strangely. He felt as though he didn't have control of his own body anymore. He had never felt more frustrated in his life. He struggled to bring a spoon full of mashed potatoes to his mouth. The spoon shook in his grip and was within inches of his mouth when he felt it slip from his hand and fall to the floor. Eric let out another sigh. He wanted to yell but stopped himself. He needed to keep himself calm and focused but he was easily discovering just how difficult that actually was.

As he reached down to pick up his spoon, he heard the sound of tiny shoes clacking off of the concrete floor. He ignored it and focused on keeping his movements in check. His hand shakily reached for the spoon and he struggled to grip it. He then saw a tiny, pale hand reach down and pick it up for him. "Here, let me help you." He heard a girl's voice say. He looked up and he saw a girl who looked only a few years younger than him, wearing a UNSC Academy school uniform. To Eric, he had never seen a girl as pretty as her. He also noticed that she was an Auroran, much like himself. He couldn't help but quickly admire her loop tailed hair that surrounded her delicate face.

She stood next to the table and said calmly, "Your spoon is probably dirty now, would you like me to get you another one?" Eric didn't really know how to answer. He didn't like that someone knew he was having trouble because of his augmentations but at the same time, he found it hard to resist this girls soothing voice.

He shook his trance and replied, "No thank you, it's fine, I'll just whip it off." He carefully took the spoon from her with his shaky hand and attempted to clean it off with his napkin. Yuna didn't want to bring his condition to attention. She then nonchalantly asked, "Um, is it alright if I eat lunch with you? There's no one else to sit with and my friends are still in class so it's kind of lonely." Eric paused for a second and then replied, "Sure, if you want too." Yuna smiled and said, "Thank you." Not wanting to advance on him to quickly, she took her seat on the other side of the table in front of him. She then opened her school bag and pulled out her small lunch box.

She set it on the table and opened it revealing a variety of very well prepared foods. Eric then looked at the size difference between their two meals. The UNSC had him and the other surviving Spartan's on large, high protein meals to keep their muscle build up. They were always very filling; he couldn't imagine this girl even feeling full from seeing the size of her lunch. "Is that all you're having?" Eric calmly asked, "Won't you still be hungry?" Yuna looked up at him with her big neon blue eyes and said as she finished chewing. "No, I'm tiny so it doesn't take much to fill me up." Yuna then looked at Number 45's meal and said, "That would last me a few days." Eric looked at his lunch tray and said, "Yeah, that's what their having us eat to keep our strength up."

Yuna watched as Eric again struggled to take another bite. After he managed to swallow his food, Yuna asked, "Are you alright? You're shaking an awful lot." Eric sighed and said, "Yeah… it's nothing. I'm just getting used to some new things is all." Yuna didn't want to try and pry information out of him so she simply replied, "I see. Well, I was just checking; I'm sorry if I seemed rude." Eric instantly replied, "Not at all. I like having conversations, even if it is about what's wrong with me right now…" He paused and said, "I don't usually get to talk to the Academy students. We're not supposed to go into that area so I usually just watch to see what they are doing."

Yuna's mind went wild. She was actually having a conversation with Number 45. It was something that she wanted to do since she first saw him. After seeing all he had been through during his training as well as going through the augmentations, she couldn't help but find him cool, and as embarrassing as it was for her to say, she also found him on the cute side.

"So what's your name?" Yuna was shaken from her trance when she heard the question. "Huh?" She asked as she refocused. Eric looked at her and calmly asked, "What's your name?" Without thinking, she replied, "I'm Yu…" She froze, knowing that she couldn't give him her actual name. She was already breaking her grandmother's rules by interacting with him and she didn't want to cause herself more trouble by doing something else wrong. She then continued. "Yukari, my name is Yukari." He smiled and said, "That's a nice name." He then said, "I'm Eric, but a lot of people here call me "Forty Five", only my teammates call me by my first name."

Eric then noticed her school uniform. It was still wet on the shoulders and sleeves as well as her beret. "Did you get caught in that storm?" He asked. Yuna nodded as she took another bite of her lunch. "Yes, I wasn't feeling well so I left class early and it started to rain, so I came in here to wait until the rain stopped." "I see." Eric said. "I was wondering why someone from the Academy was here. We're usually kept separated." He then asked, "So you weren't feeling well? Upset stomach or something?" Yuna paused for a second and then replied, "…Yeah, something like that."

She lied; she had been worrying about this boy in particular for two weeks. And now that she had a chance to actually speak with him for the first time, she could finally rest a little easier knowing that he was starting to recover.

After Yuna finished her lunch, she quickly packed her small lunch box back into her school bag and said as she looked out one of the windows. "It looks like the rain has stopped." Eric too looked and said, "Yeah, still looks stormy though." Yuna sighed as she stood up and said, "Well, I better try and get back to my room before it storms again. I already got caught in it once; I don't want it to happen again." Eric replied, "If I had an umbrella I would give it to you but we aren't issued any." Yuna smiled and made a light laugh. She replied, "That's sweet of you. I'll be okay though. My room isn't far." Eric then shakily stood up, again trying to hide his pain. "Hey, take it easy." Yuna scolded. "I'm alright." Eric told her, "I'm just a little sore." He then picked up her school bag and handed it to her. "And besides, it's bad manners not to escort a lady away from the table." Yuna felt herself blushing and she replied timidly, "Thank you; but really I'll be alright." Eric smiled as he started to walk her to the door. "It's alright, I need to move my legs anyway, they were getting stiff."

He shakily opened the door for her and watched as she walked out. As Yuna slowly walked away, she heard him say, "I hope we can eat lunch again sometime… it was fun." Yuna slowly turned and smiled. She then put her left hand on her waist and cocked her hips sassily and said, "Don't worry, you haven't seen the last of me." She then winked at him and said, "I'll see you again sometime, and get better, okay." Eric watched as she walked away and he replied calmly, "I will, and be careful heading back."

Yuna knew that she had to keep this little meeting to herself, she wouldn't even tell her sisters about this. She knew that if her grandmother found out that she had interacted that much with Number 45 that she would be in deep trouble. Either way, she had finally got to spend time with him and that was more then she could have asked for.

As she walked down the path back to her room, she saw two more of the Spartan recruits heading in the opposite direction. One had the number 69 stenciled on his shirt and the other had number 73. She could hear them talking to one another. "This has been the lousiest two weeks of my life! Everything aches! I can't take it anymore!" Number 69 shouted. 73 replied, "Tell me about it. I haven't been able to move right since we got augmented. If this erases my chances of becoming a sniper, heads are gonna roll." Number 69 laughed and said, "It doesn't matter anyway because I can whoop you at sniping any day of the week, augmented or not!" "Is that a challenge!" 73 replied. 69 grinned and said, "You know it."

Yuna stood and watched the two young Spartan's walk and argue as friends with each other. She made a light smile and said, "Well, at least they're still in good spirits." She then continued walking back to her dorm as it again started to rain. Yuna sighed, "…Figures."

(November 20th, 2525) CASTLE BASE – PLANET REACH

-YUNA – AGE: 13

Yuna followed her grandmother through the reinforced, armored halls, deep within CASTLE BASE. She didn't know where she was being taken, only that her grandmother said that she had something very important to show her. Dr. Halsey was walking at a quick pace and she wasn't speaking. Yuna knew exactly why. Word was traveling through the UNSC of a growing number of colonies being destroyed by the newly discovered Covenant.

The two came to a large, armored door. Dr. Halsey quickly swiped her identification card and typed in her code onto a small keypad. A small light above the door changed from red to green and the large door slowly opened. "What's in here?" Yuna asked calmly. Dr. Halsey replied in a low voice, "I'll show you.

Inside were several rows of large, reinforced, metal crates. All of which stood at 8 feet high and all were securely locked. Dr. Halsey led Yuna inside the large room and then into the rows of the large metal crates. Yuna noticed that all of these crates were numbered and that her grandmother had led her to a crate with the number 45 engraved into it.

"You have been wondering for a while now how I was planning on keeping the Spartan's safe." Dr. Halsey told her. "I haven't been able to give you a direct answer until now. You already know a lot about the Spartan project so there's no reason not to show you this." Dr. Halsey again swiped her identification card into a key pad on the metal crate. Yuna instantly heard it unlatch and watched as the metal panels spread open. Inside, Yuna saw a large suit of armor. Its plates were colored blue and red and the helmet had a golden, faceless visor. This suit of armor easily dwarfed her in size. "MJOLNIR." Dr. Halsey said. Yuna then asked, "What?" Dr. Halsey ran her fingers over the smooth alloy and said, "MJOLNIR. It's the name of the suits that the Spartan's will wear. MJOLNIR, is everything that I had been striving for in this program. These suits are our greatest weapon against the Covenant."

"Their weapons?" Yuna asked as she too approached the suit and ran her delicate finger's over the smooth, rock hard alloy. Dr. Halsey continued, "This will help you understand why the augmentation procedures were necessary. These suits are designed to enhance the wearer's reflexes. If the Spartan moves, the suit moves the Spartan. If the Spartan swings his arm, the suit enhances that swing. The wearer moves the suit, and the suit moves the wearer." Yuna then asked, "But why the augmentations?" Dr. Halsey continued, "Without the enhanced reflexes, carbonized bone, and muscle structure, the suit would kill the wearer. The suit itself weighs one thousand pounds. Without the suit being able to move itself, the Spartans could never move it. We tried them on normal Marine volunteers and the results were… messy. In order to operate the suit, the Spartan's needed to be able to survive them. And without the augmentations to make them stronger, MJOLNIR would not be possible."

As Dr. Halsey pulled up her personal PDA, she said, "Everything in this armor is the pinnacle of military technology. Advanced materials that can withstand most gun fire, plasma reflective paint, advanced motion tracker, the power supplied by a mini fusion pack, and hopefully one day, we can get the Spartan's to a point where an A.I. can interface with them through neural implants." Yuna didn't reply. As she looked at the large suit of armor she asked calmly, "And this will keep him safe, right?" Dr. Halsey paused for a moment. She then said, "That's what I'm hoping for. These suits can take a beating, but like everything, they have their breaking point."

Again, Yuna was silent as she studied the armor with a worried look on her face. Dr. Halsey sighed and said, "This is why I told you not to get attached to him. I knew this was going to happen." "It's fine, grandma." Yuna replied, "I'll be okay." Dr. Halsey walked over to her granddaughter. She pulled Yuna's tiny figure into her arms and said, "He'll be fine. I told you, Eric is strong. It'll take a lot to bring him down." Yuna paused and then said, "I hope you're right." Yuna paused for a moment and then said sternly, "Grandma…" Dr. Halsey looked at her, Yuna continued, "I want to see the armor in action."

(December 1st, 2552) SECRET UNSC TRAINING GROUNDS – PLANET REACH

-YUNA– AGE: 13

This was a day that Yuna had been waiting for over the past two weeks. After her grandmother had shown her the Mark IV suits, Yuna had wanted to see how the Spartan's could function in them. And after a few days of coaxing, Dr. Halsey had agreed to take her and her sisters to see a demonstration of the suits. Dr. Halsey sat in the comfortable seat of a private officer's transport shuttle, accompanied by Yuna, Mitsuki, and Dokuro. They were heading to a secret ONI weapons testing area that was hidden within the mountains of Reach. None of the girls knew exactly where on the planet they were, only that they were far from CASTLE BASE and any other populated area.

After the long flight, the shuttle flew into a hanger that was hidden within a mountain side. It quickly hovered and landed and ground crew instantly began to secure the shuttle and prep it for its next flight. "Let's go girls." Dr. Halsey said as she led her granddaughters out of the shuttle. Once in the hanger they were greeted by several higher ranking ONI officers as well as Chief Mendez.

Mendez approached her and said in his harsh, war hardened voice, "Ma'am, if you'll follow me I'll take you to the test area." Dr. Halsey nodded and motioned for her granddaughters to follow. As they all walked, Yuna over heard one of the ONI Officer's say, "We're all looking forward to these new armor prototypes. We hope that they can take the punishment that you say they can." Dr. Halsey replied without hesitating, "Of course they can, I designed them to be able to withstand nearly every type of opposition that could be thrown at them. As for the Spartan inside, that's up to their skill." Another of the officer's replied, "Let's just hope they can, the UNSC is putting a lot of money towards this little experiment and we heard it's not going as smoothly as we originally thought." Without any expression, Dr. Halsey replied sternly, "My Spartan's won't let you down."

Meanwhile, while Dr. Halsey and her granddaughters were heading to an observation area to watch the armor test, Eric, Devon, and Kalder were suiting up in their new suits of MJOLNIR Mark IV armor. They were being assisted by several of the UNSC's top scientists in suiting up. They wanted to make sure that the Spartan's understood how the armor was put on around the body and to make sure that all of its systems were functioning correctly. Eric had his suit completely on, minus the helmet. One of the scientists made a few last second changes to the suits systems and said, "Alright Sir, go ahead and take a few steps in it to see how it feels." Eric nodded and slowly stood from the reinforced chair he was sitting on. He was amazed at how light the heavy MJOLNIR suit felt around him as he stood. Almost as if he didn't even have it on.

He then took his first few steps. The heavy boots clunked off of the metal floor as he shakily walked. It was awkward at first until he got used to how the suit moved with him but within no time at all he was used to it. "How is it?" Devon asked. Eric looked down at his new blue and red suit and said, "Not bad, it's actually really nice." Devon then stood up along with Kalder and the two also took their first few steps in it. Devon nearly lost his balance and immediately corrected himself. He looked at the other two and said, "Did you feel that shift in the planets gravity just now?" Kalder cracked a smile and replied, "No, just you almost falling over."

The three continued to adjust to their armor, trying out various movements and motions. After a short time of them getting used to their new armor, a voice was heard in the rooms COM. "Attention, we are ready to begin the armor testing. Send the Spartans to their three separate stations so we can begin." The COM cut out and the three looked at each other. Eric said, "Ready for this?" Devon shrugged, "Not like we have a choice so yeah." Kalder then added, "What kind of test do you think they'll make us do." Eric replied, "Oh, something loud and painful I imagine."

The three were lead to separate preparation rooms. Instantly, Eric assumed that they would be tested separately. He was shown into a small prep room that was lined with weapons racks and ammo crates. He walked in and the door shut behind him. Instantly, a small monitor flashed on and showed the UNSC logo; then the face of Dr. Halsey appeared. She then spoke in her proper military style voice, "You are about to begin the final phase of your training. Now that you are suited up in your new armor, you will be sent out into a free for all style battle. You're objective is to take out your fellow Spartans who will be fighting for the same objective you are. In front of you is a variety of weapons which will fire heavy scale stun rounds, choose whatever you feel is needed in order to complete this goal. Remember, do not hold anything back and do whatever you feel is necessary to reach your objective. Good luck." And with that the monitor went dark.

Eric looked at the weapons rack. Without hesitation he grabbed a Shotgun and an Assault Rifle. He loaded up on as much ammo as he could carry and then put his helmet on. He heard his suit hiss as it compressed around his body and he saw his HUD flash to life. He then stepped up to a door that was at the opposite end of the prep room. He then heard Dr. Halsey come on over his helmet's COM channel. "Spartan's, step up to the door." Eric walked up to it and waited. A few seconds later, the door opened and revealed a massive circular arena style battle ground. It was dug out like a bowl shape and was filled with a variety of obstacles and places to hide. It was dimly lit in this area and he couldn't see either Devon or Kalder. Dr. Halsey then came back on over his COM. "You will notice that you have an entire area divided into separate land formations at your disposal to work with. Your objective is in the center." Eric looked out at the arena; there were too many obstacles in his way to see where the bell was located. Dr. Halsey then continued. "The first to ring the bell is the winner. You may take any approach you would like to reach the bell, but remember that your fellow Spartan's are after the same objective as you are so proceed with caution. You may begin."

The door behind Eric shut and he looked around. The area that he was in was built to look like a wooded area. He could also see an area of rock outcropping and another area that resembled a mountainside. All were clever environments and all were perfect hiding places for the three of them. Eric pulled his Shotgun up and pumped a round into the chamber. He wasn't making any sudden movements. He knew better. Devon would no doubt be camping with his Sniper Rifle and Kalder would be on the move with a Battle Rifle. He cautiously looked around and then uttered out, "This should be fun."

From up in the observation area, Yuna, Dokuro, and Mitsuki were all watching in anticipation. Dokuro leaned over to Yuna and said in a confident voice, "Number 69 has this one. I've seen some of his training vids and nothing can stop him." Yuna raised an eyebrow, "Yah right! He can't beat Number 45!" Mitsuki then timidly piped in, "I'm not so sure, Number 73 is very skilled from the information I've read about him." Dr. Halsey smiled at her granddaughters and then leaned down to them and said, "They're all evenly matched, that's why I put them in this battle. So they all have a fair chance."

Eric cautiously crept through the wooded area and keeping a constant eye on his motion tracker. He hadn't seen anything but that didn't mean that someone wasn't there. He kept up a cautious pace through the area of fake trees and eventually made his way to the edge of the forest line. He crouched down and made his way to a small outcropping of boulders and looked at his surroundings. The area that was dominated by large rocky area's showed no sign of movement and the mountain terrain showed no sign of life either. He didn't let that fool him; he knew that the other two were here. For all he knew, Kalder was probably sneaking up on him as he sat there and Devon could already have his head in sight to be sniped.

He looked ahead towards where the bell was supposed to be located. It was still obstructed by too many obstacles for him to see it. He could see several more areas towards the center of the arena, and surrounding the other combat environments were large dirt mounds and small crevices for him to hide in. He then switched weapons. He pulled out his assault rifle and brought it up to firing position.

Up in the observation area, Yuna was looking down on the field. Five minutes had passed and nothing had happened. She then turned to Dr. Halsey and said, "Grandma, where are they?" Dr. Halsey looked down at the field and replied, "Don't worry, their down there. They're not ready to give up their positions yet." Dokuro then chimed in and said, "There! I can see someone." She pointed to the edge of the wooded area and said, "I think that's Number 45." Yuna looked down to where her sister was pointing and she saw him. He was carefully making his way closer to the center of the arena. Mitsuki then said, "I can see Number 73 as well. He's nearing Number 45's location." The girls looked to where Mitsuki was talking about and they could see Kalder sneaking his way through the rocky outcroppings towards Eric's position. "He's got him beat!" Dokuro said with amusement. Yuna replied back harshly, "No way! No one can stop Number 45!" Mendez looked down at Dr. Halsey's young granddaughters and then said to Dr. Halsey, "They get competitive, don't they?" Dr. Halsey smiled and replied, "It runs in the family."

Eric saw the small blip in his motion tracker. He didn't move. He didn't want Kalder to know that he was aware that he was being stalked. He simply sat motionless. Eric slowly turned to face the direction that Kalder was coming from. His motion tracker was reading Kalder at fifty yards away and closing. Eric slowly pulled up his Assault Rifle and waited. When Kalder appeared at thirty yards away on his motion tracker his dot suddenly froze. Eric didn't move; he only waited. Five seconds passed, then ten and still noting. He then saw something. It looked like a small, baseball sized rock was being thrown at him.

Eric focused on the object and saw it land about five feet away from him. His eyes widened when he realized what it was, it was a Stun Grenade. "Oh no way!" Eric called out as he jumped backwards right as the device exploded with a loud bang. He could feel the concussion but was left safe from the blast thanks to his armor. As soon as the dust cleared from the blast, gun fire rang out through the arena as Kalder began popping off rounds from his Battle Rifle.

"Yeah! Now it's getting interesting!" Dokuro called out with excitement. "45 is done for!" Yuna scowled at her sister and shot back, "You wish! Number 45 can stop anyone that comes after him!" Mitsuki then timidly asked over her sisters arguing, "Umm, I thought that you were rooting for Number 69, Dokuro?" Dokuro smiled and said, "Oh I am, I just like watching the competition." Yuna then asked, "Speaking of Number 69, has anyone seen him?" Dr. Halsey then cut in and said, "Devon is down there, he just does a good job of staying hidden until he sees his opportunity."

Eric instantly returned fire with his assault rifle. He managed to get several well placed shots on Kalder's torso and he buckled over. Mitsuki gasped. She then asked with worry, "He got shot, is he okay!" Dr. Halsey then calmly replied, "He's fine, I have their armor programmed to react to the stun rounds as though their being shot by live rounds. If they take enough hits their armor will power down and they'll be eliminated from the competition."

Kalder quickly rolled out of the way and returned fire. A chain of three round bursts managed to hit Eric in his right leg and he felt his armor stumble. He quickly tried to regain his footing as he shot back. By this time, both had to reload. When the gun fire momentarily stopped, Eric quickly regained his footing and sprinted off towards the center of the arena. He made his way out from the wooded area and into the area lined with hills and other hiding spots. He treaded carefully not wanting to be taken by surprise.

He quickly ducked down into a dark trench knowing that the blue of his armor would help him blend in. He heard no gun fire coming at him and for the most part, the arena was again quiet. He made his way through the trench and finally came to its end and realized that he had to climb out.

When he immerged, he realized that this area now resembled a city street. He cautiously made his way onto the simulated street and checked his surroundings. This area looked close quarters so he stowed his Assault Rifle and pulled out his Shotgun. He quickly pulled up a topography reading on his visors HUD and realized that the bell he had to ring was directly on the other side of this urban environment. He then cautiously kept moving. "I told you he'd make it out." Yuna said with confidence. Dokuro then replied, "Just wait, 69 is still out there somewhere."

Eric crept through the fake city streets and eventually made his way to the opposite end and saw the final run. The bell was located in the center of a gravel circle that was one hundred feet in diameter and was lined with brick walls that were used for cover. He narrowed his emerald green eyes, he would have to sprint this, if not he was a sitting duck. He quickly looked around and saw neither Kalder nor Devon. He tightly gripped his Shotgun and sprinted into the gravel.

He could see the polished brass of the bell; he was so close he could practically feel it. Suddenly, he heard a loud yell and in the blink of an eye saw Kalder come out of nowhere and tackle him through one of the brick walls. Eric felt the hard hit of the wall as it impacted on his back as Kalder slammed him through it. He grunted out in pain and nearly had the wind knocked out of him. When the two landed, Kalder quickly pulled out his M6 Pistol and aimed it dead center of Eric's visor. "He's got him!" Mitsuki called out happily. "No!" Yuna cried out.

Eric frowned under his visor and quickly slapped the pistol from Kalder's hand as he was readying to pull the trigger. The Pistol flew out of both of their reach and landed in the gravel. Kalder then brought up his fist and yelled, "You aren't stopping me that easy!" He then began to violently punch Eric in the helmet. He could feel the hard slams through the armor and could feel his head being jerked violently from them. "Ow! Knock it off you dick!" Eric yelled out as he tried to return a punch. He managed to slam Kalder in his adam's apple and freed himself from Kalder's attacks.

Eric then quickly stood up and sprinted for the bell. He had made it no further than two steps when he heard three loud pops from a Battle Rifle and then felt his left leg give out. Kalder had managed to shoot him in the back of the knee and send him off balance. Eric fell flat on his face and then quickly he tried to regain his footing. He pulled his Shotgun up and immediately turned and aimed. He then realized that Kalder had done the same thing and now the two Spartan's were standing toe to toe holding each other at gun point.

They both froze. "Ooo," Dokuro said with amusement, "a standoff." Neither Yuna or Mitsuki replied, they simply looked at each other with worried faces. Eric frowned under his golden visor; not taking the barrel of his Shotgun away from the center of Kalder's helmet, Kalder did the same with his Battle Rifle.

Eric then said, "Well that was unexpected." Kalder replied, "Yeah. I thought I had you." "Obviously not." Eric said. They stood motionless for nearly ten seconds when Kalder said, "Go for the bell, I dare yah!" Eric grinned and said with a sly voice, "Ladies first." Kalder shot back, "If you don't make a move I'm gonna shoot because I'm getting bored." Eric replied back, "Shoot me and you get a face full of buckshot." Kalder argued back, "Do you wanna go!" Kalder shouted. Eric yelled back, "I'm trying to go but you keep holding me up!" "Hey!" Kalder snapped back, "Do you want shot?" Eric replied, "Not before I shoot you first."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the two heard a pop immediately followed by the high pitched buzz of a sniper round. The round struck Kalder in the helmet and his armor instantly registered that hit as a kill and it powered down and he went limp on the ground. "What!" Kalder shouted. "Ha!" Eric yelled out, "PWND!" He paused and then said, "…Wait, oh son of a bi…" Instantly another sniper round struck Eric in the helmet and his suit too powered down." They then heard Devon over the COM, "Fine! I'll just shoot the both of yah if it'll shut you up!" "Are you kidding me!" Eric yelled out from within his deactivated armor." "Nope!" Devon called back.

A few moments later, the two could hear the sound of gravel crunching under something heavy and then Eric could see the cobalt blue boots of Devon's armor standing in front of him as he lay motionless. "I hate you so god damned much sometimes." Eric said. "Ditto." Kalder added. Devon then stood over Eric and then crouched over top of him and stood back up. "You didn't just do that…" Eric said with frustration, "Did you just tea bag me!" He yelled. Devon grinned and said, "One for you, he then did the same to Kalder and said, "And one for you." "I'm killing you after this." Kalder called out. Devon then said, "Well that was fun, you guys make things to easy for me." Devon then rested his Sniper Rifle on his shoulder and casually walked up to the bell and rang it twice. He then said, "Oh, and by the way, OWND!" Eric sighed and said, "I hate life…"

Dokuro stood and cheered, "Yes! I told you 69 had this won!" Yuna and Mitsuki didn't respond. Both were disappointed that their Spartan's had lost. Dr. Halsey then said to Mendez, "Well, I don't think the crouching over them was necessary but he sure did pull of amazing sniping tactics." Mendez nodded and said, "He's always been like that. He waits for his targets to weaken and then he finishes them off." Yuna looked back at Mendez and said, "Isn't that the lazy way of doing it?" Mendez shrugged and said, "Not for Number 69 it isn't; he calls it a legitimate strategy."

Yuna sat back in her chair with disappointment. She looked down at the field as both Eric and Kalder's armor came back online and the two stood. Her face was expressionless, and her arms were crossed. She watched as Devon helped Eric up and then Eric helped Kalder up. The three Spartan's stood for a moment and then she watched as they took of their helmets and looked at each other. They had stern looks on their faces as if they were all about to fight. She then watched as Eric began to grin, along with Devon and Kalder and then saw as the three began to laugh.

When it all came down to it, they could be brutal and cruel during battle but off the field they were all good friends. She watched as the three made their way out of the arena and she managed a weak smile. "Oh well." She uttered quietly, "Just as long as he can do better in real combat."


	43. GLASS

Sorry for such a long delay. College and such taking up my time. This is the final chapter regarding Yuna's past.

(CHAPTER 43) GLASS

"Do you understand now?" Dr. Halsey asked. "You're emotional attraction to Eric wasn't coincidence, your mind as an A.I. possessed the thoughts and desires of the original Yuna." Yuna didn't know what to say. Everything she had been hearing was nothing less of a shock to her. Even as an A.I., when she first met Eric she could recall having a strange attraction to him even though she remembered that the two of them didn't get along right away.

She sat with her arms crossed and holding the lab coat she was wearing to cover herself. While looking down she uttered out. "You aren't telling me everything." Dr. Halsey looked at Yuna. She paused for a moment and then asked, "You want to know what happened to her don't you?" Yuna too paused and then quietly replied, "Yes." Dr. Halsey sighed. She then walked over to the examination table that Yuna was sitting on and she sat down next to her. She looked at Yuna and said, "It was something that I've wanted to forget about for a long time, but I can't."

Yuna looked at Halsey as she continued. "It didn't happen all that long ago; in fact, it was only three years ago." Dr. Halsey looked back at Yuna and said, "That was one of the hardest days of my life…"

(3 YEARS EARILER) SAGARIS SYSTEM - PLANET SAGGII

-YUNA - AGE: 16

Yuna was running in a panic. She was breathing heavily and whimpering out in fear. The ground rumbled and the sky was blazing red. All around her, people were in a panic and chaos was ever present. Her long sky blue hair was flowing around her as she ran. She felt someone bump into her and she felt herself stumble and loose her balance. Yuna fell hard to the ground and gasped out from the impact.

Aside from the constant sound of escaping civilians all around her, she recognized two sets of footsteps. Mitsuki and Dokuro instantly knelt down next to her and helped her up. "Are you alright?" Mitsuki asked." Yuna replied with a shaky voice, "I scraped my leg pretty bad." Dokuro looked down ad saw the road rash forming around Yuna's torn uniform thigh high stockings as blood began to seep out. She then said, "We'll get that bandaged up as soon as we can." Dokuro then helped Yuna to her feet. Yuna let out a small yelp of pain from moving her sore leg. Dokuro continued, "I'm sorry that this is hurting you but we have to keep moving! Their sending an Evac Shuttle for us and we have to be there for it."

Yuna stood back up as Dokuro and Mitsuki held onto her and the three started running again. A sonic boom roared through the area. The three girls looked up and saw a fleet of Covenant Destroyers emerge from Slip Space. Fear filled the three sisters. Dokuro had to shake her trance and get her younger sisters moving. "C'mon! We have to go!"

(UNSC STEALTH CRUISER) SILENT SHADOW

Nearing Planet Saggii-

Eric, Devon and, Kalder were walking towards the bridge of the Silent Shadow. They had been assigned as guards for Dr. Halsey while she completed an assignment that the three knew nothing about. Their only instructions were to escort her and make sure that she was safe. Easy enough. Nothing would be happening to her with the three of them around.

They were in their relatively new suits of MJOLNIR Mark V armor. The suits were only a month old but already had their fair share of scuffs and scratches. Eric walked holding his helmet at his side. He groaned and asked, "Any reason why we have to be here for this?" Devon shrugged and said back, "No clue, Dr. Halsey usually goes solo on her assignments." Kalder then added. "Well, something must be up if she wanted all three of us with her." Eric began to feel edgy. "I don't know about the rest of you, but something doesn't feel right about this one." Devon gave him a reassuring punch in the shoulder and tried to calm his nerves. "Relax, this is probably nothing. We'll just escort her in at wherever she needs to be, she'll do her thing and then we can go home." Eric sighed and said, "I hope so."

The three neared the bridge and approached the armored door that led inside. Devon typed in an access code on a small key pad and the door slid open. The three walked inside the bridge. The bridge of the stealth ship was unique compared to other UNSC ship's bridges. This one was dominated by several large holo projectors that mapped out entire area's and allowed for large groups of people to run battle simulations before they even deployed troops. At the front of the bridge was Dr. Halsey standing next to the ship's Captain.

The three approached and immediately saluted the Captain. Eric then said, "SPARTAN team Blue reporting." The Captain nodded and said, "Glad to see you were able to join us. We were just about to come out of Slip Space." Dr. Halsey then added as she looked at the Captain. "I want this extraction to be quick and simple. Their shuttle should already be in high orbit and away from the threat so they should be able to dock with us quickly and then we can be away from here."

Kalder cut in and asked. "An extraction?" Dr. Halsey nodded and said in a calm voice, "Yes, a shuttle with some very important people are going to be docking with our ship and we are getting them away from this sector." Devon then asked, "What's the urgency?" The Captain cut in and said, "You're about to see." He then looked at his crew and said, "Prepare to exit Slip Space." The crew acknowledged his order and began prepping the ship to exit from its jump.

The three Spartan's felt the ship decelerate and could feel their weight shift slightly. As soon as the Stealth Ship exited Slip Space, the bridge of the ship was filled with an orange glow. In front of them, dominating the entire viewport was a planet that was being glassed by the Covenant. Eric's eye's widened. He had never seen a planet being glassed before. He was always extracted from the planets and back in Slip Space long before it ever happened. Needless to say, this came as a shock to him. The surface was dominated by large orange glowing rings and the atmosphere was choked with smoke. He could see lines of neon purple burning into the surface from space as the Covenant ships burned the planet to cinders.

"Keep us in the stealth cloak, I don't want us getting spotted." The Captain ordered. Dr. Halsey sighed and said, "Saggii didn't stand a chance, it had no orbital defenses and by the time UNSC ships started to arrive it was already to late. Eric looked down at the planet and then saw its information appear on one of the holo maps in the bridge. Saggii was an Earthlike planet that was mostly dominated by woodland areas and also had several large cities and a large amount of small rural communities.

Eric watched as Dr. Halsey went to one of the COM stations. She sat down and put a headset on and then established a connection. Several seconds later, Eric could hear her say, "Dr. Catherine Halsey calling Aerial Defense Outpost Sigma." She paused for a moment until she got a reply and then continued, "Have they been extracted?" Eric looked on as there was another pause. He could see Dr. Halsey's expression change to a look of concern. She continued tensely, "Yes, they were supposed to receive an Evac from Port Savanna." There was another pause as the Spartan's watched as she began to sound worried. "What do you mean an Evac was never sent to that location!" She yelled. At this point, Eric began to get concerned. Her turned to face her and took a few steps forward as she continued. "They were supposed to be extracted from that area an hour ago why didn't that happen!" Panic began to fill her voice. In a rare out bust, Dr. Halsey yelled back, "I don't care that the area was to risky for an extraction, they were in your care and now thanks to you their still on the surface!" Dr. Halsey paused as she listened to the reply. Eric could hear the man's voice that she was talking to on the radio head set. He said, "I apologize, but there's nothing more we can do, that area is about to be over run by Covenant Destroyers." Dr. Halsey gasped in shock and her hands began to shake. She instantly retaliated by shouting back, "You bastard! Their going to die; all because of you!"

Dr. Halsey threw her headset down violently and then turned and ran to the ships Captain. This was the first time they had ever seen her act like this; she never had outbursts like these. In a panic filled voice she yelled out. "I need you to get me a shuttle and take me to the surface of Saggii now!" The Captain instantly replied, "I can't allow that. Saggii is in the process of being glassed, I'm not risking taking you to the surface." Dr. Halsey then immediately yelled back, "My granddaughter's are down there! Their Evac never showed and now because of a the laziness of a careless shuttle pilot their going to die!" The Captain sighed and said, "Ma'am, there's nothing we can do. The area that they were supposed to be extracted from is to hot; we can't go near it."

Dr. Halsey's usual cool demeanor was now gone. Her lip was trembling in shock and her breaths were becoming shuttered. As her eyes glassed for the fear of her granddaughters she heard the heavy foot steps of her Spartan's approach. She turned and looked at them. Eric then calmly asked, "Ma'am, you have granddaughters?" Dr. Halsey immediately replied with fear in her voice, "Yes, and their going to die unless we can get them an Evac!" The Captain again cut in and replied, "Ma'am, I apologize, really I do but a drop into that zone is suicide."

"Drop…" Eric uttered out. He looked at Devon and Kalder. Both nodded their heads and Eric turned back to Halsey. He then said, "Captain, do you have drop pods on this ship?" "You can't be serious 45." Eric nodded. He then replied, "Sir, with respect, I know what it's like to want to protect your family, my squad and I are willing to drop into that area and perform a rescue mission." The captain sighed. He frowned as he looked at a holo map of the area. The Covenant Destroyers were still a good distance away from that area, they would have a short window of time to perform this operation. He looked at the Spartan's and said, "You have fifteen minutes until those Destroyers are on your ass. I'd sprint to that drop bay if I were you." Eric nodded and said, "Yes Sir."

Dr. Halsey looked at her Spartan's. A look of partial relief washed over her face. She looked at them and said, "Thank you three so much!" Eric nodded and replied, "We'll get them Ma'am."

(PORT SAVANNA) PLANET SAGGII

Dokuro was trying to keep herself as well as her younger sisters calm. The three were running, fighting their way through the crowds of civilians that were all in a panic trying to escape. Dokuro was looking around for anyone in the Military, someone from the UNSC that could help them get to their Evac. As they ran, they only encountered the chaotic crowds of people who were local to the planet.

Yuna called out, "Where's our rendezvous point? I'm not seeing any Pelican's or UNSC Shuttles." Mitsuki replied through her heavy breaths as she ran, "We're supposed to go to the landing pad near the town center. An Evac Shuttle is going to be waiting for us." Dokuro then added, "Why haven't they contacted us yet? Grandma said that her ship was due to arrive fifteen minutes ago and we should be getting orders to get to our Evac Ship!"

Mitsuki replied back trying to be reassuring. "She could just be running late." Dokuro looked up at the Covenant Destroyers that were looming over the horizon. "Well she picked one hell of a time to get a late start!"

The girls continued to run towards the town center. Port Savanna was a smaller city located near one of the planets smaller oceans. The town was mainly used for cargo ships to load and unload as well as somewhat of a relaxing tourist destination. However, relaxing wasn't the word to describe the scene.

The streets that the girls were fighting their way through to reach the town center were usually quiet and, a scene of tourists and local merchants selling their wears out of small store fronts; however, they were now the scene of people stampeding over one another and vehicles trying to push their way through the constant wave of escapees.

Up ahead, Yuna spotted a taller building that was part of the town center. "There it is!" Yuna called out, "We're almost off this rock!" The girls ran as fast as they could. They quickly ran across the street and came to a large open air park with a landing pad in the center. As they ran closer they noticed that there was no ship waiting to pick them up. Frantically, the girls looked around for any sign of an Evac ship but saw nothing.

Yuna then felt her PDA vibrate. She quickly took it off of her uniforms polished black belt and saw that it was an incoming call from Dr. Halsey. She breathes a sigh of relief and answered it. "Grandma!" She called out. "We're in the town center but there's no sign of our Evac Shuttle!" Dr. Halsey sighed and said back, "Yuna, listen to me very carefully. Something happened with the Evac Shuttle so it won't be arriving." Yuna felt her heart sink, she then yelled back, "What! But Grandma, the Covenant are almost here! What are we supposed to…" Dr. Halsey cut her off. "Listen to me! I need you to stay at that location, the Spartan's are coming to extract you so hold tight until they get to your location, do you understand?" Tears of worry and fear began to stream down Yuna's cheek. She silently nodded her head and uttered back, "Yes." "Good girl." Dr. Halsey told her reassuringly, "Just stay with your sisters, Number 45 won't abandon you." The Conversation then cut out from interference. "Grandma!" Yuna called out, "Are you there!" Yuna then looked at her PDA's screen, it read as a lost communication. She sighed and turned to her sister's. They looked at her with worried expressions. Yuna reattached her PDA to her belt and then said, "We're going to be okay. The Spartan's are coming to extract us."

"3, 2, 1, Mark!" A voice called out as Eric's drop pod rapidly began to accelerate towards Planet Saggii. He gripped tightly onto the pods controls as he rapidly accelerated. He hated riding in these things. Down below, he could see the planet burning as it was being glassed. His destination was a small port town near one of the planets smaller oceans that hadn't been glassed yet. He then saw Dr. Halsey appear on one of the small monitors in his drop pod. She spoke with a worried voice. "Your pods are going to land on the outskirts of Port Savanna. Once you reach the surface you are to immediately proceed to the town center which will be uploaded to your HUD's as soon as you land." Devon then came on over the COM. "Do we get visuals of our target's, Ma'am?" Dr. Halsey nodded and then three images appeared on the screen. "These are my granddaughters. Their waiting for you in the town center. I want you to get to them as fast as you can and then safely escort them to Evac. Those Destroyers are almost to Port Savanna and I want them out of there long before the plasma starts raining." Eric nodded and asked, "Shouldn't they have been evaced already?" Dr. Halsey frowned and replied, "The Covenant attack was to sudden and most of the UNSC's emergency ships were dispatched without reviewing their own orders. I commissioned a private Evac Shuttle to meet you when you have my granddaughters secure. It will be landing near one of the already abandoned area's of the city so that we don't attract the attention of the panicked civilians." Eric nodded. "Understood."

"Thirty seconds till impact." Devon called out. Eric looked back down. His pod was breaking through the cloud cover and a panoramic sight of burning forests and cities in the distance came into view. Below, he saw the small un glassed area that he and his team were heading. "Twenty seconds." Devon again said. He adjusted his trajectory and both Devon and Kalder followed. He aimed for a small parking lot that was near his intended LZ. This one was slightly closer and would cut their mission time down.

"Ten seconds!" Devon again announced. Eric braced himself for the hard impact and then felt his pod violently come to a stop. His vision blurred from the impact of the pods hard landing and he instantly popped the hatch open and pulled his Shotgun off of the weapon rack. Devon and Kalder jumped from their pods and grabbed their own weapons and then immediately regrouped with Eric. The three quickly looked around. The sky was glowing fire red from the distant glassing and the ground was rumbling slightly from the plasma impacts that were drawing ever closer. In the distance, the loud roar of the Covenant cruisers plasma cannon's echoed through the city and the ever present sound of emergency sirens and civilians screaming filled the area. "Ma'am!" Eric called out over his COM. "Were planet side now! Awaiting further instructions!"

Dr. Halsey immediately replied, "Uploading NAV marker's now." The three Spartan's all saw the small blue arrows flash onto their HUD's and saw that their objective was slightly under three miles away. Eric frowned. It was to far away for his liking. He quickly looked at Devon and Kalder and called out, "Alright, we gotta double time it! Move!" The three Spartan's then sprinted off towards the city center and Eric called back to Dr. Halsey, "Ma'am, we're on the move now. Tell your granddaughters that their going to be alright."

Yuna, Mitsuki and, Dokuro all saw the three Drop Pods heading towards the surface. They looked uneasily far from their location though and it made them worry. "It's alright now." Yuna said reassuringly, "The Spartan's are here to get us off this planet." A loud boom roared behind them. The three instantly turned and saw another Covenant Destroyer emerge from slip space just outside of the city. Dokuro immediately shouted out, "Then they better do it quick!"

Back aboard the Stealth Ship, Dr. Halsey heard one of the ships navigators call out, "Captain, more Destroyers! These one's are near the Spartan's location." Dr. Halsey immediately rushed over to the navigator and called out nervously, "How close are they!" The navigator replied, "Just shy of four miles; however, their nearly over Port Savanna." Dr. Halsey gasped and her eyes widened. "No!" She called out.

Eric, Devon, and Kalder were sprinting as fast as they could towards their objective. Up in the sky near the cities outskirt's, they all saw the same Destroyer emerge from slip space. "Shit!" Eric cursed. He then called out, "Kalder, how far out is it?" Kalder quickly pulled up an option in his HUD and got a distance read of the ship being just shy of four miles from the city. "To close." He called back. "We still have over two miles to the city center and that ship aint stopping for us!" Eric frowned. He quickened his pace as much as he could and then heard his COM click on. It was Dr. Halsey. "How close are you!" She frantically asked. "Two point three miles and closing, Ma'am; ETA four minutes!" Dr. Halsey sighed and said, "Please hurry. Those girls… my granddaughters, are all I have left." Eric replied through his heavy breaths. "Don't worry Ma'am, we're almost there."

Dr. Halsey's voice twitched as though she were trying to hold back tears. Something that the Spartan's had never heard her do. She uttered out, "I've been messaging them trying to keep them calm until you three arrive. Their still young and can't defend themselves against this kind of situation." Eric replied, "Do they have some form of voice communications?" He heard Dr. Halsey reply, "Just their Academy PDA's." "Those have voice COM right?" Eric asked. "Yes they do." Dr. Halsey told him. Eric then replied, "Well link us to them and we'll talk them through this until we arrive." "Good idea Eric." Dr. Halsey replied, "Let me link you."

Yuna had been going back and forth between talking the situation over with her grandmother and watching the Covenant ships. They were now nearly on top of them. As the Destroyer moved ever closer to them, Yuna heard her PDA again vibrate. She looked at the screen and her eyes widened when it said, "Incoming Communication -SPARTAN-45" "What is it?" Mitsuki asked her. Yuna felt a feeling of comfort at seeing those words. She then looked at Mitsuki and said calmly, "It's Number 45."

Yuna accepted the incoming call and spoke as she tried to stay calm, "Yuna Halsey." Instantly, Eric's eye's widened. That voice sounded strangely familiar. Still, knowing he had a mission to complete, he replied, "Ma'am, this is SPARTAN-45. We are nearing your location and are here to escort you safely to Evac. You should be able to see us in a few minutes." Yuna readied to reply when her and her sisters froze. They could hear it. They all slowly turned and saw the large Plasma Cannon on the front of the Destroyer charging. "No!" Dokuro called out, "We have to get away form that ship!"

"Eric!" Kalder called out, "Their charging!" Eric' felt his pulse quicken. He looked up at the ship and saw a blue orb begin to form under the front of the ship. On his COM, he could hear the other girls begin to panic. Eric called back, "Listen to me. I need you to stay calm and do exactly what I say, do you understand?" He heard Yuna's nervous voice reply back shakily, "Yes." "Good." He told her. "Now, I'm going to need you three to start heading towards our location to save us some time. Once we get to you, we can sprint you to Evac." "Alright." Yuna shakily told him.

She looked at her PDA and got the Spartan's location and then looked at her sisters. "You heard him. We have to move." Dokuro nodded and said, "Alright, but we all need to stick together." "We will." Mitsuki added. The girls then began to run. Yuna grinned her teeth in pain. Her leg still hurt from when she had fallen earlier and it was still bleeding. She felt her sisters grab onto her arms and help her run. "We got you!" Dokuro called out.

"Their nearing full charge!" Devon called out. Eric looked back at the Destroyer and saw its Plasma Cannon readying to fire and heard the sound of it charging even from his location. Mitsuki turned her head and looked up at the Destroyer. Fear filled her. In her studies at the Academy, she spent most of her time learning about Covenant ships. Even she knew that their time had run out. "That's not good!" She called out. "Yah think!" Dokuro argued. Yuna looked down at her PDA while her two sisters argued from fear. It was showing that they were still about two miles apart and the Destroyer wasn't going to wait for them to escape. As Yuna struggled to run, she turned her head back and saw the Destroyer. It was nearing the city and it's Plasma Cannon glowed a fierce purple.

Eric breathed out heavily from sprinting. He knew that he was beginning to hyperventilate from the constant sprint that he refused to slow down from. His adrenaline was spiking and his armor was clocking his sprint at just shy of forty miles per hour thanks to his enhancements. He heard Kalder call out to him. "This isn't good. We're still to far from them and that Destroyer is to close!" "Just shut up!" Eric shouted through his heavy breaths. "We're going to make it!" Devon then looked up at the Destroyers Plasma Cannon and called out, "Not if that thing keeps charging we won't!"

Back aboard the Stealth Cruiser, Dr. Halsey frantically looked over the Spartan's progress. They were still about two miles from where her granddaughter's were. She frantically tapped her fingers off of the desk she was leaning on. She then heard the Captain call out, "This isn't working, ready the MAC Cannon!" "No!" Dr. Halsey called out. "My granddaughters are too close to that ship! If you hit it with MAC rounds the force of that explosion would kill them!" The Captain argued back. "Listen to yourself! You're risking this planet over three girls. I understand that their family and that their still children but you have to understand that there are still people down there who have a chance to get off that planet." Halsey slammed her fist off of the desk and shouted back, "And you have to understand that Saggii is already doomed! My granddaughters still have a chance and I'm not letting you take that chance form them! My Spartan's will reach them!"

The Captain frowned. He looked at Halsey's cold stare and replied, "So you would rather watch this world burn?" Halsey snapped back, "It's already burning!" The Captain paused for a few seconds while he and Halsey stared angrily at each other. He then called out, "MAC Cannon's are to remain on standby until further orders." "Yes Sir." Several of the crewmen called back. He then looked at Halsey and said, "You've just stopped a possible window of opportunity for them, Halsey. Now it's all up to your Spartans." Halsey frowned. "I told you, my Spartan's will reach them."

Yuna again heard her PDA chime. It was another incoming transmission from SPARTAN-45. Yuna instantly opened the COM and called out, "We're still heading towards you! We're going as fast as we can!" Eric replied, "It's alright, you're doing good. We're getting close to you now." Yuna instantly replied, "That Destroyer is readying to fire!" Eric said back, "Don't worry about it! We'll have you in our protection by the time it fires and we'll already be on our way off of this rock." The word's tore at Eric. He lied. He knew that their time had already run out. His words almost seemed like a detonator. As soon as he finished that sentence, he heard the Destroyer's Plasma Cannon fire. The ground instantly shook and he could Hear Yuna and her sister's screaming over the COM. "Miss. Halsey! Miss. Halsey come in!" "It's no good!" Devon shouted, "We're to late!" "No!" Eric shouted back. "We can still do this!"

The three girls fell to the ground from the force of the Plasma Cannon. The ground violently shook and the area was glowing bright purple. The three looked back and saw the Destroyer heading towards them. Yuna sat on the ground with fear filling her face. She wanted to cry out for help but knew it wouldn't do any good. She then felt Dokuro and Mitsuki wrapping their arms around her. Yuna looked at her sisters with tears flowing silently from her bright neon blue eyes. Yuna shakily uttered out. "…We aren't going to make it, are we?" Dokuro sighed and forced a comforting smile as she looked at her younger sister, "It's alright. We've always stayed together; through everything that's happened in our lives. We've been together ever since we were little, this is no exception." Dokuro looked at the Destroyer as it neared their location with it's large beam of white hot plasma pounding away at the surface as it approached them. She felt her own tears begin to flow down her face as she fought to hold back her cries of fear. She breathed in a sharp, scattered breath and said calmly, "No matter what happens here, we're going to go through it together."

Mitsuki then looked at the Covenant ship as it approached. She had studied Covenant vessels for a long time and she knew that this one wasn't stopping its attack anytime soon. Mitsuki brushed her sharp neon green bangs out of her face and looked at Dokuro. Mitsuki too felt her own tears begin to fall from her bright green eyes. Dokuro grabbed onto Mitsuki and the three sister's embraced. Yuna then shakily picked up her PDA and opened her COM with the Spartan's.

Eric heard his COM click open. He could hear Yuna's shaky voice calmly say to him, "Forty Five… …Eric, thank you. Thank you and the rest of your team for risking your lives to try and save us." Eric called back, "Don't talk like that! We're almost there!" He heard Yuna manage a small muffled laugh and heard her continue, "It's alright. You did all you could but you three need to get out of here. I have a feeling that the three of you will be more valuable to the UNSC then you could ever know. I've felt that way about you since I first saw you, back when we were both still very young." Eric's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" He asked. Yuna replied softly, "You were the fascination of my life since I first saw you. I never knew that someone could have an impact on me like that. I've watched you train and grow into the strong, determined soldier that you are today for a long time now." Eric tried to speak. He couldn't grasp what he was hearing. He then looked back up at the Destroyer, it was now beginning to pound down on the city that they were headed for.

He then heard Yuna's soft voice say to him over the sound of the approaching plasma beam, "Don't let us hold you three back; you have this whole universe to protect, that's enough of a burden." Yuna paused and looked up as the bright wall of plasma neared her and her sisters. She breathed in one final breath and with all the courage that she could muster in her situation, she finally uttered out as she fought to hold off her tears, "I already told you a while ago, you haven't seen the last of me."

With tears now openly flowing from her bright blue eyes, Yuna severed the COM to the Spartan's and dropped her PDA to the ground as she held onto her sisters. She saw Dokuro smiling at her as she fought back her own tears of fear, "It's alright, we're in this together." Mitsuki nodded and added in, "That's right, we're going to be okay now." Yuna wanted to look up towards the ever approaching Destroyer but felt Dokuro stop her. "Don't look." She told her. Yuna then forced a smile as the heat around them began to steadily increase, she looked at her sister's and said, "Those three Spartan's… Eric, Kalder, and Devon…" Yuna again breathed in sharply to hold back her tears. "Let's stay with them alright; you know, in spirit. They've done everything they could for us, I think we owe them that." The three sister's nodded and embraced as structures around them burst into flame from the heat as the purple glow of plasma began to blind the area. The roar of the Destroyer's Plasma Cannon was deafening. Dokuro took in one final breath and called out, "It's alright! We're in this together!"

And in one final blinding instant, it was over…

A shower of sparks sprayed from under Eric's heavy armored boots as he slid to a halt. Devon and Kalder did the same. "…No…" Eric uttered. He saw his severed COM link between him and the girls. "NO!" He shouted. He had failed. He was unable to save them. All he could do was stand in shock and look as the city before him was reduced to cinders and ashen glass. He felt Devon come up behind him and grab onto his arm. "Come on! We need to get out of here, this area is done for!" Eric didn't want to move. His focus was locked on the city. Kalder then grabbed onto his other arm and the two Spartan's literally had to force him to move away. "There's noting we can do!" Kalder called out. "The UNSC fucked up and sent us in to late! This wasn't our fault!"

The three Spartan's immediately began to backtrack to a safe distance from the attack. Devon opened his COM. On the bridge of the Silent Shadow, the Captain heard SPARTAN-69's voice. "This is SPARTAN-69, attempted extraction of the Halsey sister's has ended in failure. We were deployed to late and by the time we arrived the Destroyer was already nearing the city. Requesting Evac ASAP!"

Dr. Halsey immediately felt her heart sink. She didn't speak, or move. She simply stood motionless with her eyes locked out of the front view port towards Planet Saggii. She breathed in sharply and wanted to scream but couldn't. She breathed in several sharp breaths and could hear one of the ship's crew member's call out, "Ma'am, are you alright? Ma'am?" Dr. Halsey then felt herself collapse before she blacked out.

(END…)

"I don't know all of the details…" Dr. Halsey calmly said as she took her glasses off. "But that's what happened to you and your sisters original form." Yuna sat silent and watched as Dr. Halsey wiped tears from her eyes. She then continued softly, "I've been through a lot of hardships in my life. Enduring the guilt of what I did the Spartans, being separated with the rest of my family…" Dr. Halsey paused. She looked at Yuna and took her tiny pale hand. She said with a shaky voice, "You three girls were my life after your parents were killed by the Covenant. I never had the heart to tell you that they died when you were young. That was the reason why you were with me. They were trapped on a world when it was being glassed, much like what happened to you. I wanted to keep you girls as far away from this war as possible. Reach was supposed to be our safe haven and I knew that I should have kept you there instead of making you attend the other academy on Saggii." Dr. Halsey again sighed. "We were just to late, we were supposed to arrive an hour sooner to escort you three to safety but it never happened… Yuna… Can you forgive me?"

It was another strange new feeling that Yuna felt. It was her first feeling of sadness. She instantly wrapped her arms around Halsey and the two allowed each other's penned up emotions to come out. Dr. Halsey shakily continued, "I want you to know that the Spartan's did everything they could. We were just too late." Yuna silently nodded her head. She then said calmly as she wiped her neon blue eyes, "It's alright. I've been fighting alongside Eric for a long time now. I know the risk's he and the other's take to accomplish the impossible. I know that they didn't abandon us." Dr. Halsey managed a smile and embraced Yuna. "I'm glad that you understand. I've kept this hidden from you girls for so long because I never wanted to remember it." "It's alright." Yuna told her. "I understand."

The two's conversation was cut short. Dr. Halsey saw the bases A.I., Victoria appear. She then spoke in her proper voice. "Dr. Halsey, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you, but Senior ONI Officer, Patterson would like to speak with you." Halsey froze. She then nodded her head and looked back at Victoria. "Alright, tell her that I'll meet her in fifteen minutes." Victoria politely smiled and did a curtsey as her hologram vanished.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked as she noticed Dr. Halsey tense up. Dr. Halsey turned and said to Yuna, "I think they know about you."


	44. ANSWERS

(CHAPTER 44) ANSWERS

Dr. Halsey walked through the halls of the UNSC stronghold struggling to find a solution to Yuna's problem. She was overjoyed with that fact that she had now become human but the matter of keeping her out of the wrong hands was the constant thought that was preventing her from enjoying this occurrence. She knew only one reason why she would be summoned to a meeting with one of the Senior ONI Officers, especially a meeting with Senior Officer Patterson. All Dr. Halsey could think was, "…She knows…"

Halsey felt her pulse quicken from the thoughts. If ONI learned the truth about Yuna and her situation, there was no doubt that she would be taken away to become their lab rat. She frowned, there was no way in hell that Halsey would let that happen. She boarded an elevator that took her down to the fortified ONI sector. She stood motionless in the elevator with her arms folded and her eyes closed as she leaned against the wall. It was one of the few times when she found it increasingly difficult to hold her composure.

When the elevator stopped, Halsey stepped out and headed down one of the brightly lit halls and stopped at a guarded door with the ONI emblem on it. The guards instantly recognized her and simply let her pass. Once through the door she found herself in a corridor lined with separate offices. She came to one of the doors and paused. Halsey let out a nervous sigh and she then knocked on the door. She instantly heard a harsh female voice call out over the intercom, "Yes? Who is it?" Halsey frowned and simply said, "Halsey." Instantly, the door opened and she found Patterson sitting behind her desk with an obvious fake smile on.

"Catherine!" Patterson said coolly. "Please, have a seat." Halsey nodded and walked inside her office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Patterson's desk. As she sat, Patterson said, "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me." Halsey nodded. "It's no problem. What with my Spartan's returning from battle I can finally have a chance to relax." Patterson forced a grin and replied with her hidden sarcasm. "Yes, they are quite the soldiers, aren't they? Fighting their way through this city during the full force of the invasion, and number 73 rescuing the Chancellor. Quite impressive." Halsey could see through her lies. She knew that Patterson wasn't a supporter of her Spartan's. She then replied, "Yes, they keep proving their worth more and more to the UNSC quite often it seems. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't proud of them." Patterson again managed a fake smile. "Yes, I'm sure." She paused and then asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee before we start? I know it's your favorite." "No thank you." Halsey politely declined.

Patterson sat silent for a moment and then leaned back in her chair. She then spoke, "It seems that the mission in the pit got a little rough for the Spartan's. I heard that both number 45 and 69 had to be taken to the medical bay for immediate care." Not changing her expression, Halsey calmly replied, "Yes, well they were a two man army down there faced against insurmountable odds once they were within the underground system." Patterson raised an eyebrow. "Underground system?" She questioned. "I wasn't aware of an underground system. I was informed that you never had a chance to review the footage of the Spartan's battle or even had a chance to talk with them once we lost communications. So please explain to me about this underground system."

Halsey fought to keep her rock hard composure. She quickly tried to think of a way out of the corner that she backed herself into. Halsey closed her eyes and replied, "My apologies, a bad choice of words on my part. By underground system I was referring to the network of tunnels that the Spartan's led the ODST's through." Patterson's composure loosened and she sat back in her chair. She continued, "You know, it's the strangest thing." "What is?" Halsey asked. Patterson looked at Halsey and said, "We received reports of the Spartan's leaving the ODST's for several hours while they went on a little… side mission. Do you know anything about that?" Halsey again fought to keep her composure. With her stone cold look, she replied, "No, as you know I haven't had a chance to even speak with either number 45 or 69 yet. All I have heard was that they were defending an area against an Elite Major." "Really?" Patterson question coldly. Halsey simply replied, "Yes."

Patterson made a look of confusion on her face, "You know Catherine, it's the strangest thing…" Halsey raised an eyebrow. "What is?" Patterson looked directly at her and continued, "I had a chance to review all of the ODST's battle footage and at exactly six hours and fifty eight minutes into the footage, all of their data files suddenly end." Halsey caught herself as she almost breathed in sharply in surprise. "Is something wrong Catherine?" Patterson asked with suspicion.

Halsey cleared her throat and said calmly, "No, nothing, but if I may ask, what do you mean that the files suddenly ended? And are you sure that their data chips simply didn't run out of memory?" Patterson replied, "Come on Catherine, you and I both know that those chips hold twenty four hours of footage and the odds of them all ending at the exact same time? Something just doesn't fit." Patterson then pulled out one of the data chips and said, "Here, let me show you what I mean."

Halsey watched as Patterson inserted the data chip into her computer and then turned the monitor so that both could see. As the footage played, she skipped ahead to right before the recording ended. Patterson said, "There's number 45 coming back…" The screen suddenly went dark. "And the footage ends." Patterson put in another chip. "Again, we have the battle, and this time we see number 69 and… the footage ends." Patterson put in one last chip. "I find this one to me the most informative." Dr. Halsey felt her pulse quicken as she watched the footage play. Patterson continued, "It seems that Field Commander Calabrese was closes to number 45 when he returned." Halsey watched as Patterson shuffled through the footage of the Spartan's returning. Patterson then leaned in towards Halsey and said with a sly voice, "And this is the part that I find most intriguing." Patterson froze the footage and Halsey's fear spiked. Patterson said as she motioned to a figure on the screen, "Do you see this here?" Halsey could see Yuna standing in the white Forerunner robe semi hidden behind Eric.

Halsey sat silent as Patterson continued, "Now correct me if I'm wrong but I'm seeing another person not wearing any designated UNSC uniform standing next to one of your Spartan's in an underground fortress that supposedly hasn't been explored in over a millennia. This girl obviously didn't go down with them? So tell me, how did she end up down there with one of your Spartan's?" Halsey paused. She struggled to find the words. Patterson immediately continued. "What I find most intriguing about this is that this girl with number 45 bears a striking resemblance to one of the A.I. that you created."

Patterson typed on her keyboard and instantly a figure flashed onto the holo panel on her desk. Halsey looked at the figure and saw that it was a projected image of Yuna's A.I. form. Patterson continued, "The same figure, the same body build, the same intended height, and the same sky blue hair…" Patterson paused and a stern look of suspicion filled her face as she looked at Halsey. "So tell me, Catherine, how is it that UNSC A.I. YND 4521-7 bears such a close resemblance to this girl?" Halsey replied as calmly as she could. "It's quite simple, I recently updated Yuna and her sister A.I.'s with a large amount of new abilities, one of which allows them to project their figures to their intended human height. That was probably Yuna's hologram simply walking next to her Spartan." Patterson raised an eyebrow. "I see…"

She continued with a stern look, "So tell me, was one of their new updates something that allowed them to look solid. Last I knew Catherine, A.I. were transparent, please explain how you managed to make them look solid?" Halsey paused and said, "It must simply be an error on the data chip or the way the light is focused on her." Patterson made a sly smile. "Really… Well that's basically all I need to know. I'm so glad that we had a chance to discuss this situation." Patterson then hit the button on her intercom. "This is Patterson, please have Ms. Halsey escorted from the ONI complex." A few moments later, the door to her office opened and a guard walked in.

Halsey stood and readied to leave. As she stepped from the threshold of the door, Patterson said, "Oh, and Catherine…" Halsey turned and saw Patterson smiling at her. Patterson then said, "The blood on number 45's A.I. is a very unique touch. I can't say I've ever seen an A.I. programmed to look like that before." Before Halsey could reply, the door to Patterson's office shut and she was escorted back to the elevator. As she entered the elevator, she watched as the ONI guard saluted her as the doors closed. The elevator began to ascend and Halsey uttered out, "She knows…"

Patterson leaned back in her chair. She then picked up her pen and waved it through the still hologram of Yuna. She looked at Yuna's projected figure and said, "It seems that you stumbled into quite the miracle, didn't you little girl?" Patterson then tapped the button on her intercom and summoned Victoria. An instant later, the hologram of the bases A.I. appeared and in her proper voice she said, "Yes Senior Officer?" Patterson, still waving her pen through Yuna's hologram replied, "Have Field Commander Calabrese report to me for a mission follow up." Victoria's tiny hologram quickly took notice of the look on Patterson's face and the fact that she was so intently studying the hologram of another A.I. Victoria recognized the A.I. The smart A.I. that she had met only briefly when the Spartan's arrived. Still, with only a limited amount of set tasks, she couldn't delve to far into the situation. She simply replied, "Yes Ma'am."

Dr. Halsey was trying to keep herself out of a panic. With constant thoughts running through her head about Yuna being discovered, she could only come up with one option to keep her safe. It was an option that she wasn't very fond of but as of right now it was her only choice. She made a small side trip to back Section 4 and headed towards the armory where she had taken Anna to be fitted into her uniform.

When she arrived, she went inside and immediately went to the front desk. Just like last time, the person working the counter was the soldier with the prosthetic arm. He saw Halsey walk into the room and he immediately saluted. Halsey then said, "This may be really short notice but I'm in need of some equipment." He nodded and replied, "Alright, well what did you have in mind?" Halsey pulled out a holo tablet and tapped in a series of commands on the touch screen and showed it to him. She then said, "I need a suit of ODST Combat Armor in these measurements." He took the holo tablet with his prosthetic hand and looked it over. He studied the suit type and the size and said with slight hesitation. "Ma'am, these are small measurements. I don't even know that they even make that armor that small." Halsey sighed and said, "Then find me something as close to it as you can."

He looked at her and nodded slightly. "Yes Ma'am." He said. As he readied to retrieve the items, he turned to her and asked, "Just out of curiosity, what is this equipment for?" Halsey, without missing a beat, simply replied, "Classified." "Should have known." he told her.

While the soldier went to gather the equipment, Halsey again considered her options. Nothing else seemed feasible given her limited amount of time she had. She sighed and tried to clear her thoughts while she waited.

Nearly five minutes had passed when the soldier returned. He wheeled out a hard shelled case and said, "Well, it won't be a perfect fit as to what you were looking for, the plates will be slightly larger than what you wanted; however, I did manage to find a body suit that was a size match." Dr. Halsey managed a smile and said, "Thank you." He then pulled out a slip of paper for her to sign which she quickly purposely made an illegible signature on so that no one would know who had requested the equipment. She then thanked the soldier and wheeled the case out into the halls.

Yuna began to worry. She had been sitting for nearly a half hour in Dr. Halsey's office. She hadn't moved from her spot, she was simply sitting motionless on the examination table clutching onto the lab coat that Halsey had given her to wear. It was quiet and there was no one to talk to. She looked over on Dr. Halsey's desk and saw Veil's hologram projected above her old data chip. She appeared to be sleeping. It was odd. As an A.I. Yuna never recalled herself "sleeping" she would merely power down until she was needed again. All she could assume was that Forerunner A.I. behaved much differently then she had. She hated this suspense. As an A.I. should would have had trillions of calculations that she could have occupied her time with but now as a human, she quickly learned just how simple the human mind was compared to that of a computers.

She had also considered heading out into the base to go to the medical wing to check on Eric and see how he was recovering but immediately stopped herself. She knew that she was being kept in a secure lock down in this office for her own safety. This entire situation happened because of her. Yuna quietly pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed. She never meant for any of this to happen. She just wanted to spend the rest of her life with her Spartan.

She heard the door unlock and then saw Dr. Halsey enter the room wheeling a large, hard shelled case behind her. Dr. Halsey looked at Yuna as soon as she entered and said, "We have to go. Hurry and change into this." Yuna was confused. She looked at the case that Halsey had brought and then asked, "Into what? And where are we going?" Dr. Halsey immediately unlatched the case and opened it. Yuna hopped off of the examination table and walked over to see what was inside.

Inside, Yuna found neatly arranged pieces of mat-black armor plating along with a folded black body suit and a silver visored helmet. "ODST armor?" Yuna questioned. Dr. Halsey began taking the separate plates out of the case and laying them out on the desk in her office. "Yes, I need you to hurry up and put this on." Yuna looked at the separate pieces of armor that were laid out before her. "Why do I need to wear this?" Dr. Halsey then immediately pulled her lab coat off of Yuna's well formed body and held out the armor's black body suit towards her. "Because it's going to help me get you out of here alive."

She laid the body suit in Yuna's arms and calmly said, "Now please Yuna, put the armor on." Yuna nodded and then slipped herself into the black body suit and pulled a pair of black combat gloves over her delicate hands. She then began slipping on the pieces of mat-black armor plating while Dr. Halsey was putting items in the equipment pack that attached to the back of Yuna's armor. Yuna pulled her heavy chest plate over her body and started to adjust the straps and buckles on the suit to attempt to make it comfortably fit her small build. She found that the body suit fit her quite will but also noticed that the armor plating was slightly on the big side and had to be carefully adjusted so it wouldn't flop around while she moved.

With her suit completely on, minus her equipment pack and helmet, Dr. Halsey walked over to her and said, "That hair… As beautiful as it is, it's length is going to pose a problem." Yuna reached around and took a lock of her ankle length hair and held it. Dr. Halsey continued, "We need to tie it up fast so it can fit under your helmet." Yuna nodded and Dr. Halsey; quickly realizing that she wasn't the type of woman who carried around hair ties, quickly went to her desk and pulled out a handful of rubber bands. She then went back over to Yuna and quickly began putting her hair into two long twin tails and then quickly began to tie it up.

With Yuna's hair kept in a manageable position, Dr. Halsey handed Yuna her helmet. Yuna took at it and looked at her reflection in the silver visor. She then took the helmet and slipped it on over her head and watched as its HUD came online. Dr. Halsey then picked up the equipment pack for the back of her suit and motioned Yuna to turn around. Yuna felt her attach the pack and felt as her weight shifted from the pack being attached to her suit. She felt Dr. Halsey securely attach it and then heard her say, "Now listen to me very carefully. I'm taking you away from this base to keep you out of ONI's hands. You're in that armor so that no one will see any of your features except for your height." Yuna cut in and asked, "What about Eric? Can't I see him before we go?" Dr. Halsey shook her head, "Not until we clear this up. He'll be fine. He's unconscious anyway so it's not like he can do anything stupid while we're gone." Yuna nodded with her eyes narrowed in disappointment.

Dr. Halsey grabbed one last thing. "Turn around." She instructed. Yuna turned and felt Halsey open up her equipment pack. She turned her head and saw Dr. Halsey holding an unmarked envelope which she then felt her stuff it down into her equipment pack under the other objects that were inside. "What is that?" Yuna asked. "Don't worry about it." Halsey told her. She then closed the pack and continued, "We need to get going, keep your visor polarized so that no one can see your face. Don't look at any body, don't motion to anybody, and above all, don't talk. If someone addresses you, I'll handle it." Yuna nodded and Dr. Halsey grabbed the case that held Yuna's armor and wheeled it out behind her and motioned for her to follow. "Let's get moving." She said. Dr. Halsey began walking. She walked past her desk and quickly grabbed the data chip containing Veil and placed her within one of her lab coats pockets. Yuna then polarized her helmets silver visor and followed as her small boots made dull thumps off of the metal floor.

Out in the halls of the base was unusually quiet. Not many people were on this sub level. It was a place that was off limits to nearly everyone except for a select few. As they walked, they passed a weapon pallet. Dr. Halsey quickly grabbed and SMG off of it and handed it to Yuna. "Here." She said in a monotone voice. Yuna's eyes widened as Halsey handed her the weapon. "Planning on having me kill someone for you?" Yuna asked with sass. Dr. Halsey simply replied, "Just keep it attached to your leg plate. An unarmed ODST during a war on an active base would stand out to much." Yuna looked at the weapon and made sure the safety was on. She then reached down and clipped it to her leg plate.

"We're going to be heading near the outskirt's of the west end of the city, there's a pelican waiting for us, and as far as anyone knows, you're my escort." Dr. Halsey then left the now empty equipment case next to a pile of empty crates and continued walking. She led Yuna to the elevator and the two boarded and headed for the surface.

As the elevator ascended, Yuna looked down at her gloved hands. Dr. Halsey took notice. "What is it?" She asked. Yuna smiled under her visor and calmly said, "It's nothing, it's just now I know what it feels like for Eric when he's in his armor. It's something that I've always wondered about." Dr. Halsey managed a smile. "Yes, it's similar, but his MJOLNIR is on a much higher scale." "I know." Yuna calmly said, "But I think this is as close as I'll ever get to seeing the word through his eyes again."

The elevator slowed to a stop. Dr. Halsey again calmly spoke, "Remember, no talking." Yuna nodded and watched as the doors parted open in one of the main buildings of Outpost Bravo. Dr. Halsey stepped out and Yuna followed. This area of the base was noticeably more crowded. Troops that were readying to head back out were finishing packing their equipment and lining up with their squads.

Dr. Halsey quickly pushed her way through the crowds of people as she made her way out onto the tarmac to board her Pelican. As they walked, Yuna tried to keep up. The heavy crowds of people were proving difficult for her to make her way through in her bulky armor. With her knowledge that she retained of the ODST armor from when she was an A.I., she activated her helmet's VISR mode and locked onto Dr. Halsey so that she wouldn't get separated.

Dr. Halsey made it to the building's entrance and stepped outside. It was nearly evening and through the smoke that plumed from different area's of the city, the bright, vivid color's of the aurora's still managed to shine through. Yuna tried to keep up but found herself falling behind. As she was walking, she felt a hand forcefully grab her by her equipment pack. Yuna nearly lost her balance from the sudden stop and quickly turned to look and see who had grabbed her. She looked and saw and ODST with green armor plating staring her down through his polarized visor. "Why aren't you with your platoon trooper?" He called out harshly. Yuna struggled to find the words. She was told not to speak to anyone or reveal her identity but in this situation she wasn't sure what to do. She didn't answer and she felt the Helljumper roughly jerk her shoulder. Yuna let out a yelp from the rough treatment and he continued yelling, "I won't ask you again! Why aren't you with your damn platoon?"

Yuna again didn't answer, either out of her respect for Dr. Halsey's instructions or out of fear. She knew the Helljumper was getting ready to again shout at her. He scared her to say the least and she couldn't help but wish that Eric was with her to get this guy off of her. She then heard another voice call out, "Stand down trooper! She's with me." The ODST looked over and saw Dr. Halsey standing with her arms crossed and a rather agitated look on her face. He immediately let go of Yuna's shoulder and saluted. "Yes Ma'am! I apologize." Halsey simply nodded and said, "Move along, we're in a hurry and you're holding us up." He then nodded and walked away.

Halsey sighed and approached Yuna. In a shaky voice, Yuna said, "I'm sorry. I was only doing what you instructed, I didn't answer him." Halsey slowly nodded. "I know, it's alright, you don't have to worry about that. I'm sure that he didn't mean to be so harsh on you, this war is wearing on all of us so just let it go." Yuna nodded and Dr. Halsey continued, "Now let's get moving."

The two continued across the tarmac and then walked towards a Pelican. As they approached, Yuna could see an ODST sitting in the crew area loading rounds into clips for his Sniper Rifle. This ODST seemed very familiar to her. She then looked at his dark purple chest plate that rested over his mat-black armor and saw the name "Shepard" stenciled on it. It then clicked in her mind. He was the ODST that patched Eric's wound up back in the underground before they headed back towards the surface.

He saw the two approach. He quickly stood and stowed his equipment and greeted them. "Dr. Halsey." He said as he saluted. "Everything is prepped and ready." "Good." Halsey replied as she and Yuna boarded the drop ship. Shepard looked at Yuna in her armor and he said, "It's the miracle herself. We Weren't sure if you made it or not when the pit collapsed." Yuna didn't reply. She had completely forgotten that Shepard knew that she had become human and that several other of the ODST knew. She could only hope that they were true to their word and kept quiet about this.

Shepard depolarized his visor and Yuna could see him smiling at her. He patter her shoulder and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, you're going to be alright." He paused and then said, "Nice armor." As of right now; much like Dr. Halsey, Yuna didn't know what all of her options were, and with her Spartan still injured, she could only keep her trust with Halsey and Shepard. She simply nodded her helmet and stepped aboard not saying a word.

She walked up to one of the seats, sat down and strapped in and Dr. Halsey did the same. Shepard then walked into the cockpit and fired up the drop ships motors. As the craft readied to take flight, over COM Shepard said, "We should arrive at the facility in about twenty minutes. Just sit back and I'll get us there as soon as I can." Dr. Halsey nodded, "Alright, just make it quick, we're running out of time." "Yes Ma'am." He replied as the pelican lifted off of the tarmac and flew off towards the outskirts of the city.

Senior Officer Patterson sat reclined in her desk chair. She knew that Dr. Halsey was hiding something from her. Something that she wanted. From what little video evidence that she had from the ODST's helmet cam's from the underground, and the environment that they were in, she already knew from the other intel she had seen form SPARTAN-117's mission logs that she was dealing with something of the Forerunner origin. She knew the type of power that the Forerunner's possessed and the types of creations that they built. After seeing the still's of the girl that was with SPARTAN-45 and recently learning that UNSC A.I. YND 4521-7 or "Yuna" as she was called, had been destroyed on that mission due to unknown system failures, she could only assume that somehow, beyond all logical reason, that one of Halsey's A.I. had managed to become a living breathing human. It was a long shot; she knew this, but when it came to the Forerunner's, even Patterson didn't rule out the impossible.

She heard her intercom chime and she answered it. "Yes?" She asked coldly. A voice replied, "Ma'am, ODST Field Commander Calabrese is here to meet with you." Patterson grinned, "Alright, send him in." She paused and then said, "Also, I want the other A.I. that was on the underground mission." The voice paused as he thought about the A.I.'s name. He then replied, "Dokuro, Ma'am?" Patterson's face again went cold. "Yes, Dokuro." The voice replied, "Understood, I'll send someone to retrieve her."

Patterson cut the intercom and sat back in her chair. She heard her door tone chime and she said, "Come in." The door slid open as Calabrese walked in wearing the black bodysuit of his armor. "Field Commander Calabrese reporting as ordered, Senior Officer." Patterson nodded. "Please sit down, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."


	45. THE BURDEN OF A MIRACLE

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you guys, blame this lull in chapters on Reach. As much as I wanted to work on this story and get it posted for you all… god that game is good and god has it eaten up my life… So forgive this poor pathetic Halo gamer for falling victim to an amazing game for a few weeks.

(CHAPTER 45) THE BURDEN OF A MIRACLE

Yuna sat silent in the drop bay of the Pelican. She had no idea where she was being taken or what awaited her when she arrived. However, she was aware that ONI knew that she was terminated during the underground mission. She didn't need to hear a report, she knew that all A.I.'s stats were linked to ONI and as soon as she flat lined, no doubt someone was aware of her termination.

She looked out of the back hatch of the Pelican. Below, the ruins of the once beautiful city of Eclipse sped past as they flew overhead. She couldn't help but feel sorrow for what had happened to this planet. Below, twisted steel beams spiked up into the sky from the piles of rubble from collapsed sky scrapers and heavily damaged buildings.

As they flew, she noticed that they were flying towards a less damaged area of the city. The buildings became less damaged and the area seemed more deserted than like a war zone. Cars still sat on the street, no corpses littered the area, and there was no sign of neither UNSC or Covenant troops.

Up in the front of the Pelican, Dr. Halsey sat in the co-pilot's seat and attached a headset to her ear. She then typed in a series of commands on a small Tac-Pad and established a link. Through the headset's small mic she said quietly, "Dr. Catherine Halsey calling Supreme Commander Drake of the UNSC Stealth Cruiser Phantom of the Galaxy." Several seconds passed before she heard a reply. "Drake here, go ahead Ma'am." Dr. Halsey continued, "Supreme Commander, I've run into a situation and you currently have in your possession a very valuable asset that can assist me."

Drake paused and replied, "Ma'am? If I may, what situation?" Halsey sighed and said, "I know your views towards ONI when they take it upon them selves to go snooping into business that isn't their own; their after something very valuable to me that I can't afford to loose." "What is it?" Drake asked. Dr. Halsey linked her personal PDA to her Tac-Pad and continued, "I'm sending you all of the information on a secure link, all will be answered in there." "Send it." Drake replied.

Halsey sighed and nervously sent the information through. She hoped that Drake would be on her side with this unique situation. "I've received it." Drake said. There was a pause as he read it over. Every second to Halsey felt like a minute. She then heard Drake make a "hmm" noise followed by him asking, "…How? "How did this happen? I'm reading over all of this information but I'm not sure that I believe it." Halsey replied, "I know it seems impossible, I'm still trying to understand this. I'm trying not to trouble myself with it now because I'm more worried about her safety and keeping her away from ONI than understanding it." Drake paused and then continued, "I understand; however, 76 is still in cryo, I'm guessing that you want him for this?" Dr. Halsey nodded to herself, "Yes, I'm linking you with locations to the facility that we're heading too, I need him to bring an escort shuttle to fly her away from here once we're through. I don't doubt that ONI is already tracking us, but this facility is run in secret and out of ONI's eyes. I want this to seem like an escape, not something suspicious."

"You are aware Doctor that what you are about to do can easily have you thrown in prison for a minimum of thirty years not to mention your permanent expulsion from not only ONI but every branch of the UNSC?" Dr. Halsey didn't even think twice. "I don't care." She told him sternly. She then heard Drake sigh. "Regardless, I suggest that you get this operation underway as quickly as possible. This secure COM will keep ONI out of our business but once they discover that you're gone their going to descend on you like a moth to the flame." "I'm already anticipating that, that's why I want Number 76 down here to escort her to safety once this is finished." "I understand," Drake said, "I'll have him out of cryo as quickly as I can; but, he's not prepped for any type of combat and you want me to send him down into an active war zone. 76 isn't due to come out of cryo for another week or unless the ship was in jeopardy." Halsey coolly replied, "I doubt he'll mind."

Yuna sat quietly watching the landscape below her rush past. She heard the door leading into the Pelican's cockpit open and she turned to see Dr. Halsey walking back out towards her. "We will be landing in five minutes, once we're on the ground we can't drag our feet, we have to go quickly." "You still haven't told me what we are doing out here." Yuna protested. Halsey simply replied, "Saving you."

(UNSC OUTPOST BRAVO) Private Medical Wing

Dokuro stood quietly on her holo pad as she watched the doctors treating her Spartan's injuries. She knew just how bad that Devon had been injured when the Pit collapsed, he had suffered from the initial force of the explosion as well as receiving several burns over his body. She didn't move during the procedure, she only stood and watched. She didn't watch out of her own interest; but, she watched out of worry for his well being. Anytime her Spartan was hurt, be it a small injury or a situation like this that would nearly cost him his life she worried.

She stood and watched for several hours while he was treated and when the doctors finally finished and wheeled him into recovery, she allowed herself to temporarily relax and collect her thoughts. She had been through a lot over the past few days and even she would admit that this battle was not only taking a toll on her Spartan, but herself as well. She watched the doctors leave the room and she quietly sighed to herself. Her hologram then vanished and she retracted herself back into the cyber world to transport herself to Devon's recovery room.

Once back in the calmness of the cyber world, she calmly began her short journey. Naturally to the human eye, this trip would take place in light speed, but to Dokuro, she was simply taking her time and patiently walking. She walked calmly with her hands folded in front of her waist and even hummed a light tune to herself as she walked while the halo of light above her shone down onto her figure. It wasn't until she rounded a corner in the cyber world that her trance was broken.

She noticed the bases A.I., Victoria standing motionless with her back to the wall and her dainty, pale hands resting motionless at the sides of her elegant, red Victorian style dress. Dokuro paused and observed her for a brief moment. Even to Dokuro, she could tell that something was wrong with this A.I. Victoria was a "Dumb" A.I. but even dumb A.I. showed slight hints of emotion. It wasn't hard for Dokuro to spot the look of worry in this young girls face.

Dokuro slowly walked towards the young A.I. and she calmly called out, "Hey." Victoria looked up as Dokuro continued. "You're this bases A.I., correct?" Victoria, noticing that she was in the presence of an A.I. with higher authority, immediately regained her pre programmed composure and properly did an elegant curtsey for Dokuro as she calmly replied. "Correct, and my apologies, I didn't notice your presence." Dokuro held up her hand and said, "It's alright, I just arrived myself." Still with her monotone voice, Victoria continued, "I do not wish to hold you up, if you'll excuse me I'll be on my way." Victoria then slowly began to walk away and Dokuro called out, "Hey, hold on a second." Victoria paused and slowly turned to face her. "Yes?" She calmly asked.

Dokuro slowly approached Victoria. The base A.I. didn't move. She knew her place was well below this A.I. and even she, with her limited programming knowledge was slightly flattered that this A.I. was even giving her the time of day. Dokuro then continued, "Just out of curiosity, is everything alright?" Victoria didn't change her pose. She only replied, "Everything is fine…," Dokuro raised an eyebrow and knelt down in front of the young girl so that she was at eye level. "Are you telling me the truth?" Dokuro then made a light friendly smile and jokingly said, "I am authorized to do a through memory search of your memory you know." Victoria paused for a brief moment before simply replying, "I apologize, but I'm afraid that there are urgent tasks that I must attend too." Dokuro sighed and got back to her feet. She then nodded and said, "I understand, and I apologize for holding you up." Victoria did a polite curtsey and said calmly as she turned, "No need to apologize." As Victoria slowly started walking, she paused and then quietly spoke, "You're new memories are precious. Don't let those who don't deserve them take them from you." Victoria then wrapped herself in light and vanished from sight.

Dokuro stood motionless for a moment. She was confused at Victoria's comment. She called out, "Victoria! Wait a second!" There was no reply and Victoria was nowhere to be found. Dokuro processed the question in human time for nearly three seconds before she finally forced herself to proceed to where she was headed. The rest of her walk was quiet. She ignored her surroundings as she walked towards Devon's recovery room. Her thoughts were locked on what Victoria had said to her. She did however shake her trance long enough to see the entrance to her holo pad in the recovery room. She slowly walked towards it readying to reappear when she felt her programming jump. Her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise.

Before she could call out she felt herself being torn from the cyber world and being placed into a data chip, similar to the one that she was kept in when she was in Devon's armor; however, this one limited her movements and abilities. She instantly tried to make her hologram appear on the chips data crystal and felt herself being stopped. She then saw information appear in front of her that read, "Hologram Projection: DISABLED! Please wait for an ONI Official to deactivate." Dokuro frowned and angrily yelled to herself, "Disabled my ass! I'll show you disabled!" Dokuro then instantly forced herself into the chips security features and began to hack through it.

The ONI Security Officer who was carrying Dokuro's temporary chip noticed that the data crystal was flashing rapidly and the small device almost felt to be vibrating. He stopped and held the small chip up and looked at it. He uttered to himself, "What are you doing in there?" Instantly, Dokuro's hologram appeared on the data crystal and she angrily called out, "Who in the hell do you think you are yanking me from the system without any warning and confining me in a containment device! Do you know who you're dealing with here!" The Security Officer regained his composure from the sudden shock of an A.I. breaking free of her containment. He then sternly replied, "Calm down, you're being taken for a mission overview." Dokuro raised an eyebrow, "Mission overview? With who? I wasn't aware of this." The Officer continued walking and said, "In a time of war, a lot of things are short notice."

Dokuro continued to frown as she looked over the Security Officer. She took notice of his uniform. The light, ashen grey uniform was adorned with several medals; as well as, the large ONI patch on the shoulder. Dokuro's eye's widened. She was in ONI's custody and she instantly assumed that she was being taken in for questioning regarding the underground and what happened with Yuna. Victoria's words then clicked with her. "You're new memories are precious. Don't let those who don't deserve them take them from you." "…Yuna…" She quietly uttered to herself. Dokuro then instantly retreated back into the confinement chip and pulled herself into her memory. She quickly found all of her memories regarding the underground and most important, her memories of Yuna as a human. She instantly collected all of the "risky" data and confined it into an area of her memory that could only be accessed through her own will. No one could access that memory, not without Dokuro's say so; and that was even if they were crafty enough to find it. Dokuro frowned, "No one is getting to my sister."

Back within the ONI sector, Field Commander Anthony Calabrese walked into a secure interrogation room. The room was dark, only illuminated by a softly lit light. After going to Patterson's office, he was immediately told to come to this room and wait for further instruction. This situation concerned him. Never before on all the mission follow up's that he had attended had they been done in an interrogation room. Still, after dealing with the underground area he was just in and with the base being overcrowded with soldiers, for all he knew maybe they were just out of free space. He quickly flexed his sore muscles under the black layer of his combat suit and then sat down in the chair that faced a tempered glass window. He couldn't see anyone on the other side but he instantly knew that he was already being watched.

Patterson smiled as she sat behind a desk in a small room that was linked with the interrogation room that Calabrese was in. She then saw the door open and watch as a Security Officer entered. "Ma'am," He said, "I brought A.I. DKR 1373-2. She isn't in the best mood though, she instantly broke through the containment seal after I yanked her from the system." Patterson frowned. She hated Halsey's A.I.'s and the fact that they possessed emotions that gave them outbursts that made her job more difficult. Still, not wanting to cause suspicion, she calmed her voice and said, "It's fine, leave her here, you may go." "Yes Ma'am." He said as he saluted and handed off the chip.

Patterson held the chip and watched as the Security Officer walked out of the room. She then took the chip and interfaced it with a secure system that was kept confined to the room she was in. Dokuro instantly appeared on a small holo pad and turned to face Patterson. Dokuro didn't recognize this woman, she only assumed that she was top intelligence due to the insignia on her uniform. Without hesitation, Dokuro broke the silence by saying, "I'm sorry, I don't think I've had the pleasure, you are…?" Patterson forced a smile and replied Senior Officer Debora Patterson, ONI." Dokuro felt her nerves twitch but held her fear back. She then replied, "I see, how may I aid you?" Patterson simply replied, "I simply want to go over what happened on your mission in the Pit. I understand that it was quite the adventure and that you also experience the loss of your sister A.I. due to catastrophic system failure." Dokuro paused and then replied, "Yes, it was my understanding that after she interfaced with the core of the underground network that it was too much for her to bare. I too experienced a less severe effect when I was interfaced with another area of the underground."

"I see." Patterson said. She then continued, "Tell me, what was it about the systems down there that caused you two so many problems?" Dokuro, keeping her composure replied, "We were dealing with an unknown system type. A system that was neither of human nor Covenant origin; however, it is to my understanding that after viewing reports from Cortana, that we were dealing with a system of the Forerunner origin." "I see," Patterson continued, "and when did you read reports from Cortana on this subject?" Dokuro replied, "I was given the opportunity to read all of the information collected from the Halo ring after Number 117 returned and sent the information to Dr. Halsey. I was granted permission to learn about the Forerunner's should I ever encounter their systems during a mission. I think from my recent experience that it proved very useful."

Patterson sat silent and leaned back in her chair. She then shot a stern glance at Dokuro and nodded her head slightly. "I see." She uttered. Dokuro's hologram shifted uneasily as Patterson glared at her. Trying her best to keep her calm, Dokuro broke the silence and asked, "Is there anything else that I can aid you with?" Patterson looked at Dokuro and leaned forward. She paused for a second and then said, "As a matter of fact, there is." Patterson then motion Dokuro to stand next to her. Dokuro projected her hologram to her human height and walked over next to Patterson's desk. Patterson then stood and walked over to a holo monitor that was attached to her wall that scrolled data regarding various functions throughout the base. She then said, "Tell me about the Forerunner technology."

Dokuro felt slightly worried. Patterson then turned to face her and continued, "What is it capable of?" The A.I. again shifted her hologram uneasily and she then asked, "In what way Ma'am?" Patterson replied harshly, "What can it do? What is it capable of? I know of the creatures that were discovered down in the Pit that were originally assumed to be a type of Covenant." "The Theta's?" Dokuro cut in. Patterson raised an eyebrow and continued, "Yes, the Theta's. I understand that they are of Forerunner origin. We have a large number of them corralled within one of the Pelican hangers on the surface. They are under constant surveillance with heavy Gauss Cannon rounds aimed at each one of them should they try anything suspicious." Dokuro replied calmly, "The use of heavy Gauss rounds is not needed; in fact, it's probably just making them nervous. They won't harm us, I assure you." Patterson shot back, "Really now? And how can you be so sure?" Dokuro replied calmly, "They are of Forerunner creation and they will not harm the one's that gave them life."

Patterson paused and shot a stern look at Dokuro. "Life?" Patterson asked coldly. "What do you mean, gave them life?" Dokuro's hologram swallowed hard. She then timidly uttered out as she tried to stay calm, "It is to my understanding that the Forerunner's built the underground network on this planet to specifically create the Theta's for use as genetic weapons against the Flood." Patterson stood silent and looked at the A.I. She knew of the Flood after reading Number 117's reports after his battle on the Halo installation.

She then asked, "And how did they give the Theta's life? Were they created from other creatures or found on another planet and simply bred?" Dokuro replied, "Neither, they were created using artificial DNA that was then fed through their systems and used to create them. It was all powered through the undergrounds massive power core which is where Yuna was destroyed." "Do you know the power levels?" Patterson asked. Dokuro simply replied, "It was enough to overload and destroy Yuna." Patterson sighed and said, "I understand." She then motioned for Dokuro's hologram to sit in a chair that was next to Patterson's desk.

Dokuro slowly walked over and sat her dainty figure down. She then watched as Patterson walked over to her and placed a metal bar that was shaped in a half circle around the back of Dokuro's figure. "Ma'am?" Dokuro asked nervously. Patterson simply replied, "Don't worry, it's just a scanner." Dokuro asked nervously, "A scanner for what?" Patterson continued as she linked it to her own personal computer system, "It's just going to do a system scan on you to make sure that you weren't damaged during you time in the Forerunner systems. What with this war still going on, we can't afford to lose anymore of our… valuable A.I.'s." Patterson then activated the scanner and Dokuro felt herself jump. She could tell that every tiny fragment of her programming was being scanned. This concerned her.

Patterson then stood and walked over to the wall and tapped a button which revealed a two way mirror. On the other side, Dokuro could see Field Commander Calabrese sitting in a chair. He appeared to be calm but still, she wanted to know what he was doing here.

Patterson then approached the two way mirror and looked at Dokuro. She said as she forced a smile, "I apologize, but I'm afraid I have another matter to attend too. Just relax while your scan continues and I'll be with you shortly." Dokuro didn't move. She wanted nothing more than to be out of this room and back in the safety of her Spartan's armor. She watched as Patterson tapped a series of buttons on a small control panel and then began to talk.

Calabrese heard a voice say, "I apologize for the delay, I had some work to attend too." Calabrese replied crisply, "No apologies necessary Ma'am." Patterson then continued, "I'll keep this simple, I just need to go over your recent battle in the Pit with you." Calabrese nodded, "Yes Ma'am." Patterson started off by saying, "I understand that you were faced with rather insurmountable odds." Calabrese replied, "Yes, the Elites had the entrance to that fortress in the tunnels we found pretty much locked down. We did have a lot of help from the Spartan's. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be here." "I see." Patterson said, she then asked, "And would you care to tell me, Field Commander what happened once the Spartan's left you and your squad?"

He nodded. "It was mostly a few hours of us finishing off stragglers and securing the area until they returned." Patterson paused, "Did anything happen during the time while they were gone?" "Nothing unusual Ma'am; we finished off the remaining Covenant forces and patched and stabilized our wounded. From there it was mostly quiet until the Spartan's returned."

Dokuro began to get nervous from hearing the conversation, she knew that Calabrese was part of the group of ODST's that was with Devon and Eric when they returned with Yuna. She didn't know how much that they knew of the incident but she hoped that what he and the rest did know, they kept their secrecy to the Spartan's and kept it under wraps. "…I see." Patterson said. She paused for a full five seconds and then asked, "Tell me, Field Commander, did you experience any technical problems with your equipment while underground?" Calabrese paused. He then stiffened his jaw and replied, "Not to my knowledge, then again we weren't focusing to much on our equipment during the battle, we were more concerned with keeping ourselves alive."

Patterson raised an eyebrow, "I see, so tell me Field Commander, were you aware of a series of simultaneous helmet cam failures a short time before you returned to the surface, somewhere around the time when the Spartan's returned?" Calabrese swallowed hard. He paused briefly and replied with as calm of a voice as possible, "I wasn't aware." Like I said, we were more concerned at that point about getting everyone out of there before it all came down than worrying about our helmet cams." "I see…" Patterson said coldly.

She then tapped a small button on her desk and Dokuro began to feel something. It felt as though her systems were being sifted though, she could feel this presence prying through all of her secure files and going over all of them and through all of her memories. Dokuro looked at Patterson with concern. She saw Patterson make a sly grin at her and heard her say calmly with a slight hint of a sadistic tone in her voice, "Don't worry, I'm just doing a complete system scan on you to make sure that you weren't damaged during your time in the Forerunner systems. You have nothing to worry about, I'm just going over all of your programming and memory." Dokuro now openly had a look of worry on her face and she knew that it was showing.

Patterson then turned back to Calabrese and continued. "You are aware, Field Commander that you were within the fortress of an alien race, correct?" Calabrese paused and then replied, "I kind of assumed that when we found that structure. I didn't ask questions though." Patterson nodded, "An ancient race that must have thousands of untold secrets about what it holds within, including their abilities to do the impossible." Calabrese didn't respond; however, he did feel his pulse quicken. Dokuro too sat watching and listening to the interrogation as she began to worry more and more as Patterson continued to pry information from the ODST.

Patterson began to pace back and forth slowly and then turned and looked at Calabrese, she then asked, "You were aware that an A.I. was terminated in the underground, correct?" Calabrese shook his head, "No Ma'am, I don't deal with A.I.'s, I just fight to keep them out of the wrong hands." "I see." Patterson uttered, she then tapped a series of codes in on a small key pad and in front of Calabrese, a picture of Yuna's hologram appeared on a screen in front of him. She then continued, "Have you ever seen this A.I.?" Calabrese looked at the picture, He knew that was Yuna, and he damn well knew about what had happened to her, he now realized why he was here and being questioned. ONI was after her. He quickly remembered SPARTAN-45 asking him to keep this a secret, he now understood why. He frowned and replied, "I know of her, yes." Patterson too looked at the image as she continued, "And you are aware that she was the Commanding A.I. on that mission correct?" Calabrese nodded, "Yes Ma'am."

Dokuro's processes began to run wild as her level of worrying became worse. Patterson shot a quick glance at Dokuro as her hologram continued to sit. Dokuro's face looked as though she had just seen a ghost and her hands were trembling slightly. She made a light grin and continued, "That A.I. was terminated during an attempt to link her with the systems within the undergrounds core. It was apparently to much for her to handle and it killed her. Are you aware what that core was capable of Field Commander?" Calabrese felt his breathing increase but he managed to ask, "No Ma'am I don't." Patterson now sternly shot back, "A system that was used to create the very creatures that aided you in escaping from the underground as it was collapsing, the creatures that are called Theta's. A system that is used to create life! A system that takes the DNA of an organism and moulds it into any form it wants. The very system that killed the A.I.!"

Dokuro's eyes suddenly widened, as she felt this scan that Patterson was performing on her delve into the secure files that she used to contain every memory she had of Yuna after she had turned human. She felt her breathing increase slightly and now noticed Patterson looking at her as she felt this thing worming it's way through her security settings. With an eyebrow raised, Patterson depolarized the glass that was separating her and Calabrese allowing him to see what was going on. His eyes widened when he saw the other A.I. sitting in an almost panic. He knew that something was wrong and instantly called out, "What are you doing to her!" Patterson calmly replied, "Just going over the information that she has collected from your mission. Dokuro's hands trembled noticeably more and she felt herself breathing heavily. Patterson then looked at her computer monitor and noticed that her scan's had encountered one of Dokuro's secured memory cashes with the memory's of Yuna. "My my, what have we here?" She asked slyly. She tapped in a few commands on her keyboard and instantly Dokuro felt the secure lockdown of her memory's being broken open and felt as her memory's were being sifted through allowing Patterson to see the images of Yuna. Both her and Calabrese could see images begin to show up on Patterson's monitor of a girl in a pure white robe with a small amount of sky blue hair showing through from under her robes hood. Patterson had now seen visual proof of Yuna being human.

Dokuro instantly forced her hologram to stand and she yelled out loudly, "No! Get out! Get out of my mind!" Dokuro then forced her hologram to do an EMP burst and instantly she sent a power surge through the scanner and destroyed it as well as several other systems in the room as well as shatter the glass that separated Calabrese from them. The ODST stood and watched as Patterson quickly pulled out a data box from her computer before it could be fried. The device obviously had some form of surge protection on it to prevent this very thing from destroying it. Patterson then looked back at Calabrese and yelled out, "Admit it! You knew that she became human through those systems! This is a discovery that the scientific community will pay trillions for to research further! And because of your failure to cooperate with ONI and keep vital information from the UNSC you are now at risk of Court Martial for treason!" Calabrese yelled back, "We were keeping her out of your hands for her own safety! You're turning a miracle into a lab rat and for what! Money, and power! This is why I joined the ODST, to protect innocent lives from twisted people like you!"

Patterson frowned angrily at Calabrese. She readied to shout back when she heard someone call her over the rooms COM. "Senior Officer, Dr. Halsey has been spotted Leaving in a Pelican and seen heading for the undamaged area of the city, were you aware of her actions?" Patterson frowned, she knew what Halsey was doing, she was trying to escape with the girl that ONI wanted. Patterson paused for a moment and replied, "Get me a Pelican and a UNSC assault team. I want it ready for departure in fifteen minutes." The voice replied, "Understood." Patterson looked at Calabrese and harshly spoke, "This isn't over. Once we retrieve Halsey and that girl, I'm coming looking for you." Patterson then turned and dashed out of the room and rushed towards the hanger bay.

"Bring it!" Calabrese called back. He then jumped up through the window and went inside the room where Patterson had been. He saw Dokuro lying on the floor curled in ball and she appeared to be crying. He knelt down next to her hologram and he laid his hand over her figure. "Are you alright?" He calmly asked. Dokuro was fighting back her emotions. Her sister was in danger and she was powerless. With her long, sharp, purple bangs draped over her face and with tears streaming down her pale cheeks, she looked up at Calabrese and uttered out shakily, "Get me back to my Spartan. I don't want to be here anymore." Calabrese nodded and looked around for Dokuro's chip. He went to the desk Patterson was sitting at and found the Containment Chip that she had been brought here in. Calabrese picked the Device up and knelt back down in front of Dokuro. She was still lying on the floor and trembling through her scattered, upset breaths. He held the device in front of her and calmly asked, "Is this it?" Dokuro looked up at it with her bright purple eyes and nodded.

Calabrese then held it in front of her and watched as Dokuro reached her delicate hand up and laid it on the device. She looked at Calabrese with the halo of light that hovered above her head enhancing her beauty and she uttered out, "Thank you." Calabrese nodded and said, "You're safe now, everything is going to be alright." Dokuro didn't respond, she simply focused her thoughts and transferred herself into the Containment Chip. Calabrese then stood and walked out of the room. "Everything will be fine…" He said quietly.

"Landing in thirty seconds!" Shepard called out. Yuna looked up and saw Halsey approach her. She said, "Put your helmet back on, we have to go quickly." Yuna nodded and reattached her helmet back to her suit of ODST armor. The back hatch of the Pelican opened and the ground rushed up to meet them. When the drop ship touched down, Dr. Halsey quickly rushed Yuna off of the Pelican and called out, "Shepard, I want you to circle the area until we're finished, we should be done in forty five minutes." "That's a long wait doctor but I'll do my best." "Thank you." She called back. "And keep an eye out for anything suspicious." "Roger." He said.

Yuna stepped off of the pelican and onto the deserted city streets. Her boots clacked off of the pavement as she slowly walked forward and looked at the large building in front of her. There was a large sign on it that read "Geno Tech". Yuna looked at Dr. Halsey and asked, "What are we doing here?" Dr. Halsey motioned her forward and the two began walking. Halsey told her, "We're getting you out of ONI's cage."

Halsey walked up to the main entrance of the large building as Shepard lifted the Pelican off of the ground and began to fly off and wait for his instructions to return. She pulled out a strange identification card and swiped it. She saw as a small light flashed green and she heard the door unlatch. "Good," she thought, "the backup power was still functioning."

Yuna walked inside the large lobby of the building and felt herself being led by Dr. Halsey to an elevator. Halsey tapped the button and the doors open and the two stepped inside. Halsey immediately hit one of the buttons to the lower sub levels and instantly the elevator began to descend. She then looked at Yuna and said, "When we get down here I need you to do everything I say. I don't want this to take to long." "Hold on!" Yuna argued back, "I know that we're here to keep me away from ONI but you haven't told me what we're doing here. Are you taking me to a fallout shelter or something and picking me up after the heat dies down or what?" The elevator slowed to stop and the doors parted revealing the entrance to a large lab. Yuna's eyes widened at the site and Halsey calmly replied, "I'm doing the same thing to you that we did to the Spartan recruits when we first abducted them, I'm going to flash clone you."

Dr. Halsey immediately walked out of the elevator and called out, "Let's go, we can't waste any time." Yuna only nodded. She was both confused and stunned. To her, flash cloning seemed like an extreme step but if it meant keeping her away from ONI and with the safety of her Spartan, she would do anything. Dr. Halsey went to the lab and again swiped her identification card and the doors parted. Yuna followed her inside and asked as Dr. Halsey activated a large back up power supply, "Is this where you cloned the Spartan children?" "No." Halsey replied, "This is where I first began experimenting to see if that would even work with them. It's a place where I could work in secret, away from ONI's prying eyes."

Yuna walked around the lab and looked around. Several rows of large, person sized clear tubes stood in the center of the room, all were now lit up and all were filled with a blue tinted solution. She looked over towards Halsey and she nervously asked, "Will this work?" Dr. Halsey walked up to her and opened up the pack on the back of her armor. She pulled out a few of the envelopes that she had packed inside and then walked back over to one of the computers. She turned it on and reached inside her lab coat and pulled out Veil's chip. She then interfaced it with the systems within the lab and instantly the power dimmed as the backup power supplies struggled to keep Veil's massive systems powered.

The Forerunner A.I.'s hologram appeared in a bright white light and she stood and slowly looked around and tried to adjust to where she was. She calmly spoke, "There's still not a lot of room for me to move around I see." Halsey replied, "I apologize but you are needed." Veil looked at Halsey as she continued to rush around the lab and get things set up. "May I ask what it is I am needed with?" She asked. Halsey replied, "I need you to oversee a cloning process. I have no other A.I. with me and seeing as how you are the one who gave Yuna life in the first place that you would be the perfect one for this job."

Veil tilted her head in confusion. "You wish to clone the one whom I've just created? For what purpose? Is there really need for more than one?" Halsey looked at Veil and said, "She is in danger. We're doing this to keep the original out of the wrong hands. If we don't do this then the miracle that you created will have been for nothing." Veil closed her bright silver eyes and nodded. "I understand. I will assist you to the best of my abilities." Halsey continued working and said, "Somehow I think you will have no trouble at all working your way around our systems, Veil."

Yuna walked over to Dr. Halsey and asked, "What do you need me to do?" Dr. Halsey looked at her and said, "I need you to get out of that armor and then lay on that scanning table over there." Yuna nodded and began to disassemble her suit of ODST combat armor. She carefully undid the buckles and loosened the armor plating and neatly placed it on a table. Once she had her armor plating off, she then peeled the black layer from her body and was left standing in the nude as she walked over to the scanning table. Halsey looked at her and said, lay down so we can start. Yuna nodded and she quickly took the ties out of her hair allowing her long blue locks to flow around her body. She then hopped up on the table and laid her dainty figure down.

Dr. Halsey quickly typed in a series of commands in on one of the computers and then Veil spoke. "I'm reading all systems functioning normally and they are ready for activation whenever you are." Dr. Halsey nodded and walked over to Yuna. She reached into a small compartment under the table Yuna was laying on and pulled out a tiny plastic box that contained a small syringe with a chemical that would temporarily put Yuna into a comatose state while the cloning process happened. Halsey quickly filled the syringe and Yuna looked up. "Are you going to poke me with that?" She asked. Halsey replied calmly, "Yes, why? Are you afraid of shots?" Yuna sighed and said, "No, but I'm not a fan of this whole pain thing." Halsey walked over to Yuna and cleaned the area that she would be injecting the chemical into. She calmly said as she stuck the needle into Yuna's pale skin, "No one does." Yuna winced at the feeling of the needle as it pierced into her. Almost instantly, she felt herself getting woozy and felt her eyelids become extremely heavy.

Yuna felt herself drifting off. Before she was completely asleep, she looked over at Dr. Halsey and uttered out, "Can you do one last thing for me?" "What is it?" Halsey asked. "As Yuna struggled to keep her eyes open, she uttered out, "I know that flash clones don't live long; I don't want that to be an exception for mine. I don't know what ONI was planning on doing with me but I'm almost positive that it wouldn't have been good, so please, make it so that she won't have to suffer." Halsey paused for a moment and replied, "I understand." And with that, Yuna was asleep.

Halsey looked over at Veil. "Let's begin." Veil nodded and began to start up the cloning process. Dr. Halsey quickly pricked Yuna's finger and took a small blood sample for her clone's DNA to build off of. She then began the complete scan of Yuna's body and watched as countless lines of information flashed across the computer's screen. Veil carefully watched over every tiny amount of data that flowed past her, making sure everything was working as it should be and correcting any faults where necessary. She then calmly said, "I'm ready for her DNA sample." Dr. Halsey nodded and took Yuna's small blood sample and fed it into the system.

Instantly, a clone began to form in one of the tubes in the room. It started out as an embryo and slowly began to grow. Dr. Halsey walked over and watched. She watched as the tiny embryo grew and began to look more and more human like. It was like witnessing the growth of a baby from within the womb. For Dr. Halsey, it brought back terrible memories of what she had done to the Spartan recruits. As she watched, she heard Veil calmly ask, "I am aware of the flaws with your "Flash Clone" system. I know that the clone will not live long and I am also taking Yuna's words seriously, she requested that this clone not suffer; so I ask you now, how long would you like the life expectancy of this clone to be?" Dr. Halsey paused. She knew just how bad ONI wanted Yuna and what they would no doubt do to her as far as their experiments were concerned. She didn't want that, even for a clone this copy would still be able to feel pain and suffering. Halsey looked at Yuna as she lay asleep on the table as the systems kept a constant scan on her, "Not long Veil. ONI will have her soon and will immediately take her into custody. Give her a life of no longer than six hours." Veil paused and then replied, "That is a very short life span, by my assumptions of this cloning process, I would assume that short of a life would be classified as a failed clone." Halsey nodded. "That is exactly what I want." It will only give ONI a short amount of time with her, and because of the flaws in her build, they will pass it off as a fact of her not being able to sustain her new body. To them, even miracles can't last forever. At least this way she won't suffer." Veil paused. She looked at Dr. Halsey and for the briefest of moments saw her as she saw her father. Always looking out for the safety of his child and Dr. Halsey was no exception.

Veil quickly altered the information to the cloning process. She made it so that Yuna's clone was altered in such a way that as soon as she was taken from the life support systems within the cloning tube, she would immediately begin to deteriorate and inevitably die. Veil then looked at Halsey and said, "It is done. Her life expectancy after she is removed from this facility will be an expected life time of precisely 5.56 hours." Halsey nodded as she continued to watch Yuna's clone grow. She watched as her clone grew into the size and appearance of a new born. Halsey couldn't help but feel memories return of when Yuna was first born. She remembered being able to hold her for the first time, she was still tiny, even for a new born, however, she was already born with long sky blue hair that was already down past her bright blue eyes.

It was hard for her to watch and she didn't know why. It could be the fact that the original Yuna was already dead and gone and that the one here with her was in her own way a clone. She wasn't afraid to admit that she missed her, she missed her as well as Dokuro, and Mitsuki. She had only recreated them as A.I.'s because as much as she didn't want to admit it, she missed them all terribly. They were under her care for years and she blamed herself for their deaths.

She continued watching as her clone quickly grew into a toddler and quickly into the bright, cheery little girl that Yuna was when she was first placed into her care. She then quickly passed into the ten year mark and then into her early teens. "We're nearly there." Veil said. Halsey continued watching as Yuna was now a teenager and looking more and more like the girl she was now. Veil again spoke, "Her clone will be complete in five minutes." The last phase of her cloning happened as Yuna's clone now reached its intended age. She was now at the 18 year mark and she looked exactly like Yuna did today. She floated within the blue solution of the cloning tube with her body slightly curled up and her now ankle length hair flowing freely around her. "It is done." Veil said. Dr. Halsey nodded and said, "Revive her."

Veil nodded and began to drain the solution from the tube. She then calmly spoke, "When I crack the seal, her life will begin and you will have exactly 5.56 hours to complete your task before she dies." Halsey nodded. "Do it." Veil then finished draining the solution and then the seal on the tube popped and hissed as the tube opened. From within, the clone took her first breath; however, she did not open her eyes. She only lay there groaning slightly and breathing heavily as though she were having trouble catching her breath. She didn't speak or attempt to move, she only lay with her arms clutching her chest. Halsey approached Yuna's clone and looked at her. "She's not doing well as predicted, her body is rapidly deteriorating and she wont be around for very long. I suggest that whatever it is that you're doing that you do it quickly."

Dr. Halsey nodded and quickly helped the newly born clone out of the tube. The clones movements were very sluggish and she couldn't move very well. Her breathing was still very heavy and sporadic and she whimpered as she moved. Halsey couldn't help but feel pity for this clone. It was as though this were happening to her own granddaughter and not just her clone. Halsey sighed and calmly said, "It's alright, I've got you." She helped her stand and then led her over to a table where there was a set of clothes laid out for her. Halsey quickly helped her into a set of white clothes and then sat her down on a chair. She looked at her and thought. "They only saw you in the robe with the hood up over your head…" Dr. Halsey then took a pair of scissors and carefully began to cut the clones hair. As of right now, it was one of the few things that she could do to make their identities look somewhat different. She cut the long locks of her hair down to lower shoulder length. "There." Halsey said.

She looked at the clone of Yuna. The clone's breathing slightly calmed down and she then slowly opened her bright blue eyes. They looked weak and full of pain. Shakily, the clone looked at Halsey and the two looked at each other. Halsey bit her lower lip and then looked away. She couldn't look at her. She only uttered out, "We need to get going, we're running out of time. The clone looked at Halsey and looked as though she wanted to speak but couldn't, either out of not knowing how or simply being to weak to do so. Halsey again tried to ignore it.

She stood and helped the clone to her feet and then said, "Veil, I'm leaving you here. I want you to guard Yuna until she wakes up. I'm sending an escort to retrieve her in exactly one hour. I've left instructions for Yuna in the equipment pack of the armor she was wearing as well as other things that will help her after I'm gone. Her escort will be taking both you and her back to Outpost Bravo and from then on until this all passes, Yuna will be your protector." Veil nodded. "I understand." Halsey then nodded and said, "I'm running out of time. I have to leave." She then helped the clone walk back towards the elevator and then headed back towards the surface.

When the elevator arrived back at the building's lobby, Halsey opened her personal COM and said, "Shepard, we're ready for pick up." "Roger that Ma'am, I'll be landing in a few seconds." Halsey nodded to herself and led the clone out of the elevator and out into the lobby of the building. Yuna's clone struggled to walk and her breathing again increased. "It's alright." Dr. Halsey told her. "I've got you." Halsey's mind froze. She hated herself right now. She was escorting a defenseless, sick clone to the slaughter. She knew that this was all for Yuna's sake but it still killed her inside. She saw the Pelican land outside and she desperately shook the thoughts from her head and then lead the clone outside and into the back of the Pelican, "Ready Ma'am?" Shepard asked. Halsey replied coldly, "Yes." The Pelican's thrusters powered up and the craft lifted off of the ground and flew back off towards the base.

Almost instantly after they took off, Dr. Halsey's COM received an incoming contact. She opened the channel and asked, "Yes?" She then heard the voice of Senior Officer Patterson say back in a sinister voice, "Hello Catherine."

(GENO TECH ROOF LANDING PAD) 1 hour after Dr. Halsey's departure

A sleek black escort shuttle landed on the roof of the large sky scraper. It's thrusters powered down and it's side hatch opened. It's pilot exited the craft and headed down into the building and down into the cloning labs. The elevator doors parted and he stepped out and walked into the lab. Instantly, he saw the bright figure of an A.I. standing on a small holo pad. She calmly spoke, "I trust you are the escort?" He nodded, "Yes." Veil continued, "Excellent, I was instructed to inform you of your next task." He simply stood and listened as Veil said, "Yuna Halsey is now in your care. You are to fly her back to UNSC Outpost Bravo. I was also instructed to inform you that you are to take the equipment pack that she was carrying along with her and to inform her that she also has instructions left inside there as well." He again nodded and saw the ODST equipment pack sitting on a table next to a disassembled suit of ODST combat armor. He quickly took the pack and attached it to his back and then looked over at Yuna.

She was still asleep on the scanning table. His heavy foot steps echoed through the lab as he walked over and saw that she still wasn't dressed, however there was a lab coat neatly folded next to her. He only assumed that Dr. Halsey had left it there for her. He carefully Reached under her back and lifted her up and unfolded the lab coat and put it on over her shoulders and wrapped her in it. With her body covered, he carefully picked her up in his arms and then went back to the A.I. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. "Yes." Veil told him. He then quickly yanked Veil's chip and the room darkened.

He carefully stored Veil safely with him and headed back towards the roof of the building. When the elevator reached the roof, he felt Yuna shift in his arms. He looked down and heard her groan. Yuna felt herself groggily waking up to a familiar feeling. She felt unusually safe for some reason. A feeling that only she had when she was with Eric. She quickly realized that she was being held in the arms of someone wearing armor. Her bright blue eyes slowly fluttered open and she saw a figure silhouetted by the evening sunlight. She could see the silhouette of a Mark VI helmet and she instantly knew that this person was in MJOLNIR armor. She tried to focus and then uttered out, "…Eric?" She saw him look down at her and then say, "Nope! Even better!"

Yuna refocused her vision and saw a Spartan wearing an all black suit of armor and most noticeable of all, a black visor. She uttered out, "Wait a minute, I recognize you… You're number 76." "Really?" He asked, "What gave it away? Was it my black visor that only I use?" Yuna raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were killed on Reach." He looked down at her and said, "And I thought you were an A.I.!" Yuna sighed, "Touché." She looked back up at him and asked, "Why are you here?" He walked back up to the shuttle and said as he took her inside, "Keeping you alive."


	46. STARRY NIGHT

(CHAPTER 46) STARRY NIGHT

"You are in direct violation of ONI Protocol 272 regarding the possession of stolen ONI property." Halsey frowned as she heard Patterson's voice spewing the legal jargon to her through her COM. "You are currently being surrounded by a UNSC Special Forces team. Land your craft now or we will force you down." Shepard called back to Halsey, "I wasn't expecting this. I'm going to have to bring us down." "No!" Halsey shot back, "Not yet." Shepard began to protest, "But Ma'am, I've got an assault team on my back and I…" Halsey cut him off, "Just hold our position for now." Shepard paused, "…Yes Ma'am."

Halsey didn't even bother trying to hide it anymore. She already knew that Patterson knew about Yuna. She then opened her COM and replied, "Are you aware of what you're about to do Debora? You are about to take the greatest thing that has happened in scientific history and turn her into a lab rat." She heard Patterson reply sharply, "You have no right to question ONI's intentions Catherine." Dr. Halsey immediately shot back, "I am ONI! What has happened here is in my line of work, not yours!" She heard Patterson laugh to herself. "My, my , my Catherine, how blind you are. I am more than aware of your position with ONI; however, you are forgetting that you aren't the only scientist that is interested in this little discovery. You and I both know that the Forerunner's were capable of doing the impossible, and now it has been officially proven. We need to begin excavating that underground network and using it to the UNSC's advantage." "Advantage for what!" Halsey shot back. "The advantage of having a fat wallet?"

Patterson now openly laughed, "It's not just about the money, we need to unearth that Forerunner system and begin studying it for our own use. We will be able to create the beings that the Forerunner's created to fight their wars and defend their nations. I've seen the video files of the Theta's. I've seen what they do against the Covenant. Not only could they be used on the field but they could be deployed onto Covenant ships and destroy their defenses from the inside out. We would have a never ending supply of them as well as the financial benefits from the discovery."

Halsey looked at Yuna's clone. She was laying with her head resting on one of the padded seats of the Pelican. She was clutching her arms to her torso almost as if she were cold and she was still breathing heavily. Halsey frowned. She then opened her COM and replied, "I don't care that you're one of ONI's top ranking Officers. This whole situation isn't your concern, you're just doing all of this to spite me and increase your pay check." Halsey paused and looked towards the front of the Pelican and called out to Shepard. "Bring us down." He paused for a moment and finally called out, "Understood."

Halsey reopened her COM to Patterson. "I'm not leaving you in charge of something that is this important and this valuable. You are going to take me and the girl to the nearest UNSC ship and then you are going to take us to the planet of Riehl so that we can take her to Research Lab Gamma 525. If you want her then we're doing things my way and in one of my labs."

Patterson frowned and replied coldly, "Are you giving me orders, Catherine?" Dr. Halsey replied in her monotone voice, "If you want her then yes, I am giving you orders. …Unless you see it so fit to simply shoot us down and not only kill me but her as well." Patterson clenched her hand into a fist. She frowned and called out, "Follow them down and prep a ship for slip space once we are finished here."

Number 76 stepped into the Escort shuttle and calmly asked, "Can you walk? Or are you still tired from the cloning?" "I'm alright." Yuna told him softly. 76 slowly set her down and Yuna stood. She clutched the lab coat around her tiny body and slowly walked into the passenger area of the shuttle. She then stopped and turned her head and asked, "Where is Dr. Halsey?" 76 walked up to her and pulled the ODST equipment pack off of the back of his suit. "I don't know." He told her as he set the pack down on the seat next to Yuna. "But I was told to escort you back to Outpost Bravo. The A.I. that was with you when I found you said that Halsey left everything you needed in this pack." He then pulled out Veil's chip from his belt pouch and handed it to Yuna. "I'm guessing that you want to handle this?" She took Veil from 76 and held her old data chip in her hand and simply stared at it for a moment. It took everything in her power to simply believe that this small, yet very powerful device used to be her home. She then carefully set it down on the seat next to her.

Yuna looked at the equipment pack and opened it. Inside she found several sealed ONI envelopes, a small matte black case which was usually used for holding uniform medals and other accessories and a vacuum sealed storage bag that was used for transporting uniforms. She pulled out the sealed uniform storage bag and read the white lettering that was printed onto it's dark grey surface.

It had printed on several lines, along with other information reading:

UNSC Personnel Name: Yukari A. Halsey

Uniform Type: ONI - HIGH INTELLIGENCE (Female Uniform Type)

ONI Designation: HMZ-15767-6654

ONI Section - 3

Yuna looked up at Number 76, "ONI High Intelligence? She went through so much to get me away from ONI and now she want's me to work for them?" 76 looked at her and replied, "You know the old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. She's keeping you safe by making it so you're in the last place that they would look." Yuna was confused. All she could think about was how she could start in ONI with a fake name. ONI had so many background checks that it was almost impossible to get a position in that field, let alone a position in ONI's High Intelligence division.

She then pulled out one of the envelopes and opened it. Inside she found a large amount of papers and a file with the name Yukari A. Halsey on the tab. She opened it and read through it. Inside she found a picture of herself along with all of her information and past service record. She found lists of past basses and ships that she had been stationed on as well as her past achievements in the UNSC and in ONI detailing her various discoveries within the Covenant battle net and as well as countless missions detailing her command over the battle against the Insurrection.

Her eyes widened. It was a memory that she had possessed as an A.I. from shortly after she was first created several years ago. She had very vague memories of a cousin that was in the Halsey family from back when the real Yuna existed. Yukari Halsey was a girl that was born of Yuna's mother's older sister. She has very similar features as well as the exact same hair color; minus the white patch that Yuna had in her bangs. Yukari had a mind that rivaled that of Dr. Halsey in both her field and over all knowledge. It was a fact that Yuna was always proud of and that was that intelligence ran in the family. However, Yukari was killed during ship to ship combat five years prior.

She continued looking over the records and read through every last detail of Yukari. Dr. Halsey had apparently gone into the UNSC's systems and "corrected" everything so that she would be able to live and work under this new identity. Everything for her was now a match. Yukari's DNA, height, weight, and many other features were now corrected to match Yuna.

76 began to walk back towards the cockpit. Yuna looked up at him and calmly asked, "Jimmy?" The Spartan stopped and turned as Yuna continued, "Is Adrine still with you?" Yuna instantly heard the reply of an A.I.'s voice. "I'm still holding his leash. Someone has to keep him from killing himself." Yuna rolled her eyes, "Oh, I know the feeling." She said sarcastically.

Adrine was Number 76's A.I. Yuna hadn't seen or heard from her in over two years. Apart from being away from each other so long due to deployment's, Yuna had thought that Jimmy and Adrine were killed on Reach. Adrine broke Yuna's thought by saying, "So, we're getting you away from the heat and then thrown back into ONI's furnace so to speak?" Yuna looked at the small package that held her uniform and shrugged. "Looks that way." She heard Adrine laugh to herself and continue, "Well, you have four Spartans backing you up now so somehow I think you'll be fine. Yuna forced a smile. "I just hope this goes as smooth as Halsey hoped."

Jimmy grinned under his black visor, "You're going to be fine. I've always trusted Dr. Halsey with my life, I don't doubt that you do too." Adrine paused for a moment and then replied, "Wow Jimmy, you can be intelligent when you want too." Jimmy laughed to himself. "I know right! Now how do you fly this thing again?" "…Why do I even bother with you?" Adrine scoffed. Jimmy walked back into the cockpit and as he shut the door he replied with a grin, "Because I'm just that worth it!" Yuna watched as Number 76 shut the door to the cockpit. She paused and thought to herself, "How do I always manage to get the undisciplined ones…?"

She then looked at the sealed package that held her uniform. She flipped it over and saw a pull tab. She pulled it and the bag instantly unsealed and opened up revealing a white uniform that was neatly folded. Yuna carefully pulled the uniform out and unfolded it while holding it in front of her. It was a one pieced white, mini skirted uniform with the cuffs and collar colored grey with black pin stripping. It was also adorned with deep royal blue ribbons running down the sleeves and along the hem of the skirt.

She also found a pair of black thigh high stockings with a white stripe running up the sides along with a pair of black polished uniform shoes. She finally pulled out a small black, hard shell case with a small latch on it. She opened it up and discovered a set of uniform medals as well as her ONI name tag. She pulled out the name tag and saw the name "HALSEY" embroidered on in gold thread next to the ONI emblem. She also found a set of uniform medals. All of which her cousin Yukari had earned and all were for her exceptional knowledge and combat analysis skills. She set them aside for when she had her uniform on so that they could be attached neatly. As she felt the transport shuttle beginning to take off she asked, "How long until we arrive back to base?" She heard Adrine call back, "We will be arriving in precisely thirty minutes. If you require, we can delay our arrival if you need more time." Yuna paused. She still wasn't comfortable with walking up to ONI posing as one of her family members. Still, she had a job to do. This war still wasn't over. She then calmly replied, "No, stick to the schedule." She looked out of the window next to the seat that she had set her items on and watched as the city sped past. She then uttered to herself, "I escaped the fire only to be thrown back in…"

(UNSC OUTPOST BRAVO) Entrance to ONI Sector

Calabrese quickly made his way out of the ONI sector of Outpost Bravo. With Dokuro safely in his care he double timed it to return her to SPARTAN-69. He had known all along that ONI was shrouded in dark secrets that they kept from the prying eyes of the rest of the world; every UNSC soldier knew that. He had now witnessed one of these secrets first hand after being interrogated. He knew that an A.I. had become human, he didn't know how and he didn't even know where to begin trying to understand it, but despite everything that had happened, he wasn't about to let ONI destroy this miracle.

Once he was at the main entrance to the ONI sector of the base, he made a quick side trip to a small room that was located near the entrance. It was a room lined with lockers and storage shelves. It was where all troops would come to disarm before they were granted entrance into the ONI stronghold. He quickly went inside and opened up his assigned locker and pulled out all of the parts for his ODST combat armor; he then set Dokuro's temporary chip down and quickly reassembled his combat armor around himself. He knew that he probably had repercussions coming due to his actions in his interrogation; even though he wasn't the one at fault, he knew how ONI worked. Still, he didn't care.

He picked up his helmet and looked at it. Aside from the scuffs and scrapes on the black alloy, he looked at the line that ran across the top right part of his helmet where the Carbine round from when he first entered the underground had grazed him. He had been in life threatening situations before but that was one of the few times when even he couldn't believe that he made it out alive.

From behind him, he saw a purple reflection in his tinted visor. He turned and saw Dokuro projecting her hologram. She was sitting on the bench next to him with her head down, arms folded around her torso and her sharp purple bangs draped over her pure face. Calabrese clipped his helmet to the side of his suit and asked calmly, "Are you alright?" Dokuro paused for a moment before finally she slowly shook her head and quietly replied, "…I don't know." She paused and she breathed in a sharp upset breath. She then shakily continued, "How could I let her break into my memory like that? Only I was supposed to be able to access that." Calabrese's jaw stiffened. He sighed and told her calmly, "Don't blame yourself for this. We all know that ONI will do anything to get what their after; unfortunately for us, we were their target. It could have happened to anyone."

Calabrese could see a holographic tear streaming down her cheek. She then quickly looked up at him with glassy eyes and shouted, "Not to me!" She breathed in sharply as she fought to hold back her frustration. "I'm supposed to be the pinnacle of Smart A.I. technology! I'm not supposed to get that easily hacked through! I'm not supposed to be hacked through at all!" She paused as she openly let out a whimper before she lowered her head and shakily said, "I gave up the most important piece of information ever. I gave it to someone who doesn't deserve it; and because of that, my sister is in danger." Calabrese sighed and sat down next to her hologram. Dokuro looked up at him with her tear filled eyes and said shakily, "I've always protected her. She's strong but I am the oldest sibling. What kind of sister am I? Because of me she's going to die."

"You know that's not true." Calabrese told her. "You had no control over any of this, ONI knew about this long before they brought you to them; they found out because of our helmet cam footage. Patterson only used you to get information because she knew that because you were her sister A.I. that you would have what she wanted." Dokuro looked at Calabrese as he continued, "So don't think that you failed or that you're didn't protect your sister. If anything you're doing a fantastic job by protecting her right now."

Dokuro quietly whipped her glassy eyes. She then quietly said "Thank you. That means a lot to me right now." Calabrese nodded. "It's alright." He then stood and said, "Let's get you back to your Spartan." He then held out Dokuro's temporary chip and held it out. "No." Dokuro uttered out. "What is it?" Calabrese asked. Dokuro continued, "I don't want to be in that chip right now. It's not my chip, it doesn't feel right." "I see." Calabrese said as he placed the held the chip. Dokuro then continued, "Would you mind escorting me as I am now?" Calabrese gave her a light smile and told her calmly, "Not at all."

He then attached her containment chip to the belt of his armor and then reached down to her dainty figure. "I'll even do you one better." Dokuro then felt her hologram being picked up as Calabrese cradled her in his arms. "What are you doing?" Dokuro asked. Calabrese looked down at her and said, "You've been through enough today. You rest and I'll carry you the rest of the way." Dokuro didn't respond. She simply relaxed herself in his arms and relaxed as the ODST carried her to her Spartan. As they walked out of the room and back out into the dimly lit halls of the base; she uttered out calmly, "Thank you."

Yuna finished putting on the last of her medals on her uniforms top. She made sure every one was on neat and straight and made sure everything else was on in its proper order. She also took out a small pack of hair accessories that Dr. Halsey had also left for her. She quickly tied her long hair up into two elegant loop tails and made sure that it's length wasn't noticeable. Once she had finished putting on her uniform, she quickly took all of her new paperwork and put it in a small, polished leather bag with the ONI emblem pressed into it. She felt the papers encounter something from inside the bag. She opened it and looked in and found a small black case. She pulled it out and opened it. Inside, she found a pair of black, circular framed eye glasses. She raised an eyebrow. "Really Grandma? You're going to make me wear glasses too…? She sighed and put them on and instantly realized that the lenses were fake and she could still see clearly. With everything in order and ready to go, she attached her own PDA to her uniform as well as attached her person M6 Pistol to a polished black leather holster on the top of her right stocking on her thigh.

She then walked up to the cockpit and opened the door. She saw Number 76 sitting with his helmet off. He looked exactly how she remembered him from the last time she saw him. He still had his same short cropped brown hair and his scruffy five o' clock shadow on his face; as well as, the scar that ran from his bottom lip and down to his chin. He looked up at her with his brown eyes and gave her his usual optimistic smile and said, "Alright, I have a co-pilot now! …Nice glasses." Yuna smiled back and said, "Don't get used to it, you're still not my Spartan." He smiled and said, "Yah, but you wish you were." The two laughed and Yuna replied, "You still haven't lost that attitude of yours have you?" "Nope! Not on your life!"

The two then saw a cool aqua flash appear on the holo panel as Adrine appeared. She too was exactly as Yuna had remembered her. Her body was glowing with aqua colored numeric code. She wore a tank top with a strap going over her right shoulder. Below was a belt that held up a diagonal cut skirt with knee length pants underneath. She stood with her mid calf length laced up boots tapping off of the floor from which she stood as she ran her hand through her mid back length wavy hair.

Adrine looked at Jimmy and said, "That attitude of yours is the reason why you and I are always getting disciplined by Command." Jimmy cracked a smile at his A.I. and said back, "Please, you know it would be boring if I weren't recklessly impulsive." Yuna then commented, "That sounds all too familiar…" Adrine then looked at Yuna and continued, "That's true, we both were paired with the one's that have no military discipline." Yuna smiled and replied, "Eric is disciplined…, he just has a unique way of showing it." Jimmy then cut it. "No, he just knows how to keep his morale up on a mission." He then looked at Adrine and moved his eyebrows up and down, "Just like I do!" Adrine crossed her arms and glared at her Spartan with an annoyed look as he continued to flair his eyebrows. "Yah done?" she scoffed. Jimmy sighed and sat back in his seat, "You're so mean to me." He groaned with sarcasm.

Adrine simply shook her head and looked back at Yuna. She then continued calmly, "Well aside from keeping our boys in line, I trust you're doing well?" Yuna nodded lightly and replied, "As well as well can be I suppose. I'm still adapting to everything and there's still so much to learn." Adrine gave Yuna a warm smile and said, "I think you're doing fairly well for someone who has technically just been born. You managed to escape the Covenant, survived the pit collapsing, and dodged ONI." Yuna sighed and looked down at her new uniform. "Yeah…" She continued with annoyance, "and look who I'm working for now." Adrine paused. She knew that this strategy was risky, but at the same time she doubted that ONI would consider searching for someone within their own compound. She then continued with a reassuring voice, "Just keep your head down and follow your instructions." She then pulled up an ONI staff list and searched for Yuna's new alias.

Pictures of countless ONI members scrolled across a display and finally stopped when it came to Yukari Halsey. "Do you see?" Adrine continued. "Dr. Halsey has already taken care of everything." Yuna looked at the picture and saw that Yukari's original picture had been replaced with her own. "As long as you act the way she did while you're on duty and simply do as you're ordered, you should be fine." Adrine again paused and asked, "You do know how she acts, right?" Yuna nodded and replied, "Yes, from the memories that were given to me as an A.I., I remember reviewing several of her missions and watching security footage of her. In most ways she act's a lot like me." Yuna then pulled out some of the paper work from her polished, black leather bag and quickly read over it. "As one of ONI's High Intelligence Officer's I'll be reviewing and planning missions involving the Spartan's and ODST's; a topic which I am already an expert at."

Jimmy; for the most part, kept his mouth shut while the girls talked. He already knew how risky this was and even he wasn't sure if Dr. Halsey's plan was going to work this time. Trying his best to stay out of their way while they talked and not throw in one of his usual side comments he called out, "We're going to be landing in five minutes, you might want to prep yourself." He then tapped a few of the buttons on the escort shuttles control panel. Yuna quickly stored all of her valuable paperwork back in her bag. She then did a quick last minute inspection on her new uniform and saw Jimmy reach down next to her and pick his black helmet up. As he put his helmet on, Yuna asked with a nervous voice, "You're escorting me inside, right?" Jimmy looked over at her and asked, "Why? Are you afraid to go by yourself?" Yuna looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. She then said, "Given my current circumstances, yes. I am afraid to go in by myself."

Up a head the base came into view. Jimmy prepared to land and replied, "Yeah, I'll take you in." Yuna then silently nodded as she watched the base approach. Jimmy then leaned over and nudged her with the forearm plate of his armor. "Relax!" He told her. "You're going to be fine. And just think, in a few minutes we can go inside and pick on Eric, Devon, and Kalder! It'll be just like old times!" Yuna allowed a smile to form on her lips. She looked at Jimmy and said, "Thanks."

A few minutes later, the escort craft slowly circled its assigned landing pad and then slowly touched down. Jimmy led Yuna out of the cockpit and then took Adrine and put her back in his armor. He then opened the side hatch and let the stairs descend. "After you Miss. Halsey." Jimmy said. Yuna nodded and walked past him. "Thank you 76." She replied, sticking to her new alias. To both Yuna and Jimmy, as far as anyone in the UNSC and ONI knew, Jimmy was only with her as an escort and nothing more.

They both stepped off of the shuttle and instantly the ground crew members saluted. "Officer's on deck!" the one shouted. Yuna ignored it. She simply gripped tightly onto her hand bag and slowly headed towards the main structure of the base with Jimmy close behind.

Devon sat on the edge of his recovery bed. He awoke to a dimly lit medical room with only his bed and a small night stand next to him. He was still groggy from his anesthesia and was still sore from the injuries that he had sustained when the pit collapsed. He looked down at his bare chest and saw a bandaged area where he had been treated with a synthetic skin building agent to treat one of his burns as well as several small areas where he had been stitched up. His legs were underneath a pair of black pants and they were sore. He brushed his fingers over his wounds and sighed. They would be completely healed within a day but it didn't hide the fact of how sore he was.

He then heard the sound of heavy boots and looked up to see Field Commander Calabrese walk into his room; however, he wasn't alone. He instantly took notice of his A.I. cradled in his arms. "Dokuro!" Devon called out as he struggled to stand. He forced himself to move towards Calabrese and watched as Dokuro slowly looked up at him. "What happened to her?" Devon shouted at Calabrese. Calabrese looked at the Spartan and simply replied, "ONI happened to her." Devon paused. He knew what he meant. This was all because Dokuro was directly involved with Yuna and he could only assume that ONI found out and managed to get what they wanted from Dokuro.

Calabrese carefully set her hologram down and allowed her to stand. Dokuro slowly regained her composure and simply stood, not saying anything. Calabrese then looked back at Devon and calmly said, "She needs you right now, and I have to get back with my squad." He then Saluted and Devon nodded as Calabrese turned and walked out of the room.

The room was silent as the ODST left. It wasn't until Dokuro let out a muffled whimper that Devon calmly asked her, "What did they do to you?" Dokuro shook her head. She couldn't find the words. All she could manage to say was, "They got what they wanted… They broke into my mind and stole my thoughts…" Devon could clearly see the tears dripping down her face. All he could do was kneel down in front of her and try to comfort her, and without hesitation, Dokuro ran into her Spartan's arms and openly cried. Through her muffled sobs she shakily said, "They know about Yuna, because of me! Because of me Yuna is going to be taken and then who knows what!" "Dokuro…" Devon softly said. She let out another sob and continued, "I'm the oldest of us, I was always their protector. Yuna and Mitsuki were my responsibility. I always told them that I would never let anything bad happen to them…, but look what happened!" She paused for several seconds before she uttered out, "I'm a terrible protector, and sister."

"You know that's not true." Devon told her calmly as he genteelly patted her head as she cried into his chest. "You have been through so much in your life. We've been through battle after battle and seen so many terrible things. I think it's just finally starting to weigh down on the both of us." Devon slowly shook his head as he tried to think of what to do. As of right now, he knew next to nothing about Yuna's status or even if Eric was aware of any of this. He didn't even know if Eric was out of Surgery yet.

He could only sigh and calmly tell his A.I., "Everything is going to work out. I'm sure that Dr. Halsey has everything under her control." Dokuro instantly replied, "She doesn't!" Devon looked down at her. "How can't she?" He asked. "Halsey has been on top of everything since she arrived here." Dokuro shot back, "She left the base shortly before ONI got the information about Yuna out of my mind. I heard them say that Halsey was heading towards the city in a Pelican and I don't know where she is now."

Devon was at a loss. He didn't know what to say that would help make this situation any less difficult than it already was. He sighed and said calmly, I'm going to see if Eric is awake yet and if he even knows about this. He started walking for the door when he heard Dokuro call out, "No!" Devon stopped and turned. Dokuro was standing with his head down and her hands at her sides clenched into trembling fists. Her shaky voice then softly spoke, "Don't go… Don't leave me here by myself…" Devon looked at his A.I. as she stood motionless. "Dokuro?" He asked softly. She then breathed in a sharp breath and said, "This war is driving me to my limit… Not just the war on Aurora but this entire war with the Covenant. I've been in so many battles with you and been with you as you fought so hard and felt so much pain." Dokuro again breathed in sharply. "I'm always so scared for you, but I never let myself show it. The countless times that I've had to watch you nearly die and fight for your life is so hard to hide." Dokuro again paused before she continued, "I know that you're a strong soldier and that it will take more than an armada of Covenant to take you from me."

She again paused as Devon cut in and calmly said, "Dokuro, I know this war is wearing on all of us. We've been fighting for years and we've been through so much together. This war won't be the end of us." Still looking down, Dokuro shook her head and uttered out shakily, "It's much more than that Devon." She then slowly raised her head with her glassy teal eyes raining tears down onto her delicate cheeks. "You wonder why I yell at you so much and why I can be so cold towards you… All of the times that I've said I wish I was paired with another Spartan because of some of the things you did… I never meant it… any of it." She then slowly walked up to her Spartan and reached up and placed her delicate hands on his face.

She gasped in a shaky breath and forced a smile through her pain. "Devon… I love you." Her Spartan's eyes widened. "I've loved you for a long time. From the moment we were paired I knew that you were someone special that I would never want to loose. You have always been there for me and protected me even when the odd's were against us. And now that everything has happened with Yuna and being able to live her dream I just… I just don't want to be left out of my own dreams."

Devon didn't know what to say. He struggled to find the words. Still stunned he calmly spoke, "Dokuro… You know that I care about you. You mean the world to me." He sighed and then told her calmly. "And I love you too, but I can't love you the way that you love me…" Dokuro's eyes widened and she backed away from her Spartan. She looked him in the eyes and shouted. "Tell me why? I know how different we are but I'm not ruling out the impossible! Not anymore! It is possible for us to be together now!" Devon stopped her. "Dokuro, I can't." Her eyes widened in frustration as she focused on her Spartan. "Why?" She shouted.

"Listen to me!" Devon yelled back. "You have always had a special place in my life, and you are the one person that I know I can go to and feel safe even when things are at their worst. You have always been there for me and I always want you to be, but understand that I do love you, but not the same way that you love me."

Dokuro didn't speak. She could only focus on her Spartan's blue eyes. Her eyes narrowed in sorrow and she breathed in another sharp breath as she shakily asked, "It's because of Anna, isn't it? Devon approached Dokuro and ran his thumb gently over her holographic cheeks in an attempt to wipe away her tears. He asked calmly, "Would it make you feel any better if I lied?" Dokuro couldn't find the words. She then slowly pushed her Spartan away and slowly backed herself away from him with her head down and her long purple bangs draped over her face. She lightly shook her head and uttered out, "No…"

Devon looked at her and said, "It's because she is a living person, I wish the world that it could have been you that was turned into a real human being, but it wasn't. I was so jealous of Eric; but I couldn't have been happier…"

She then forced herself to look at her Spartan and she continued "I guess that I'll never be as lucky as my sister…" In a now monotone voice she uttered, "Devon…" He looked at her and she told him, "Please… leave me alone for a while." Devon was about to interject but even before she could get the words out, Dokuro's hologram vanished.

The room was silent and Devon stood not knowing what to think. Her words were tearing at him and he felt so much guilt. He wanted to hit something but he stopped himself. This was an issue that was beyond his control, he had no idea that Yuna would be given life and he never expected that he would meet Anna. He walked over to his bed and sat himself down on the edge of his mattress and sighed. Still, he knew just as well as both Eric and Kalder of just how humanlike their A.I.'s emotions were, and that even though they were only programs and their feelings weren't technically "real" he still always held himself responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Dokuro.

The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of uniform shoes that were clacking down the hallway towards his room. He looked up and saw Anna walk in. "Devon! Thank god!" She said with relief as she walked into his room. Devon forced his sore body to stand as she entered. "Hey." He told her calmly as she walked in. She immediately stopped him, "No, don't force yourself right after surgery." She then went to him and helped him sit back down. He managed a grin and said, "You don't have to worry, I'm alright." "I don't care." She protested, "Just relax and don't over do it just yet." She then sat down on the be next to him and continued, "I heard that you were in recovery and that you would be waking up soon. I was hoping to be here before you woke back up but I guess that didn't happen."

"Don't worry about it." Devon told her. "It's nice to see a friendly face after a mission like that." Anna sighed and said, "You told me before you left that you wouldn't get hurt." Immediately, Devon told her, "No, I definitely remember telling you that there was nothing that they could throw at me that I couldn't get passed. If you recall it took an entire crumbling underground network to do this to me. That's pretty good if I say so myself." Anna sighed and said, "You're going to be the death of me."

Devon looked down at Anna and wrapped his arm around her tiny figure. He then took notice that she wasn't in her usual Palace Maid uniform, but was now in a white and black Base Intelligence uniform. "Speaking of missions." Devon said as he motioned Anna to stand. Anna blushed and stood as Devon continued, "Looks like someone was busy while I was away." Anna bashfully stood in her new uniform and replied, "It was Dr. Halsey's idea. She suggested that I keep busy while you were away. It was a way to help keep my mind off of things for a while." Devon smiled and said, "It looks good on you." Anna smiled and replied, "Thank you, but I think I'm getting a new one soon. Colonel Heartly promoted me after I assisted with weapons placements." Devon raised an eyebrow. "You assisted Heartly in weapons placements?" Anna made a timid smile and replied, "It was actually an accident. They were suffering from aerial attacks and I just suggested that they repositions their A.A. guns and it apparently worked." Devon smiled at Anna and said, "You are something else, you know that."

Anna then sat back down next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and calmly said with a gentle smile, "I really was worried about you though. Once they lost contact with you after you were too deep underground it honestly did scare me. I don't know how I didn't have a heart attack when I heard the pit collapsed when you were escaping." Devon looked down at her and asked, "And when you heard that me and Eric were hurt?" Anna looked up at Devon and said sternly, "Don't do that again…" Devon grinned and forced a laugh, "No promises."

A tone sounded on Anna's PDA. She pulled the device off of her uniforms polished black leather belt and looked at the screen. It read, "Incoming Message" She activated the call and heard Victoria say in her proper voice, "Miss. Kurauchi, I was instructed to inform you and Number 69 that you are to report to the central medical wing. Someone is waiting for you." "Who is it?" Devon asked, Victoria replied calmly, "Miss. Halsey." And with that, the communication severed. Devon looked at Anna. "Dr. Halsey must be back." Anna nodded and stood. She noticed a set of urban camo fatigues laid out on the table in Devon's recovery room. "You better change." She headed for the door and said, "I'll wait outside."

Shephard frowned behind the polarized visor of his helmet. He, much like the other ODST's didn't exactly care for ONI and the way they ran things. He wasn't given a full report on what his current situation was about but he was able to piece most of it together. After all, he was one of the few that witnessed this A.I. girl as a human. He was more than certain that ONI wanted her. Still, his orders were orders and he had to follow them. He looked out of the cockpits window and saw a fleet of ten UNSC Urban Assault Crafts aiming their guns at him. "I just had to volunteer myself for this one." Shepard groaned as he powered down the thrusters and slowly brought the pelican down onto one of the near by sky scrapers landing pads.

He then opened his COM and called back, "Ma'am, I know we don't really have much of a choice here, but are you sure that you're doing the right thing?" Halsey frowned and replied in a low monotone voice, "No Shepard, I don't. Just set us down and don't ask questions." He nodded to himself, "Yes Ma'am. I apologize."

The Pelican touched down and immediately Shepard powered down the thrusters and went back into the rear of the craft to meet up with Halsey. He found her kneeling next to the clone. Halsey gently nudged her and said, "Come on, it's time to go." The clone slowly opened her glassy neon blue eyes and she let out a light groan. Halsey tried to help her sit up which she shakily did. It looked as though it was taking all of her strength to simply sit up straight. "Can you stand?" Halsey asked her calmly. The clone looked at her with an almost confused look but none the less attempted to stand up. Shepard watched as she shakily tried to stand on her own will. She managed to pull her self a few inched off of the seat before falling back down. Halsey sighed and was about to help when she watched the clone try again.

The clone closed her neon blue eyes and again tried to force herself up. Her arms shakily tried to push her up and onto her feet but again she failed. She let out an almost frustrated groan after her second failed attempt. She then looked up at both Shepard and Halsey. To Shepard the look was pitiful. It was a face full of sadness and longing just to simply be praised for trying her best. He saw Halsey again sigh and he stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. He then calmly spoke, "It's alright. You did good." He watched as the clone stared at him and then saw her for the first time force a smile. Not a big one, but enough of a smile to simply let him know that she was glad to be praised.

Shepard was glad that his face was covered by his visor because to him this was nothing short of torture. He was watching a helpless person about to be handed over to ONI's Section 0 science department. He tried to push the thoughts aside by saying calmly, "Don't worry, I can carry her out." Halsey looked at him and nodded. "Alright, just be careful, and do exactly what they say once we bring her to them. I don't want there to be any more problems than there already are."

Shepard then carefully reached down and pulled Yuna's clone into his armored arms. He then lifted her up and cradled her to his chest plate. Her clone then looked up at him with her glassy neon blue eyes and gave him a gentle smile. He forced himself to ignore it. He couldn't stand to watch this. He then walked towards the rear hatch of the Pelican and watched as Dr. Halsey pulled a red lever and opened it.

Outside, he saw several lines of UNSC Assault Troopers standing and aiming Battle Rifles at him. The clone saw the weapons and immediately cowered in Shepard's arms. Halsey immediately called out, "Stand down you animals! We aren't going to pull anything so let's just get this over with." She then heard Patterson's voice call out, "Stand down men." Halsey and Shepard watched as the soldiers lowered their rifles and they both saw Patterson stepping out of one of the Urban Assault Crafts. The Assault Troopers then stepped aside as she approached them.

"I must say Catherine, you sure do manage to cause a lot of problems don't you? The issues with your Spartan's, your back stage experiments, and now keeping this little miracle from us." Patterson said coyly as she attempted to reach out and touch Yuna's clone's silky sky blue hair that was draped over her face. "Don't touch her!" Halsey called out. Patterson then snapped her hand back. "Excuse me?" She replied. Halsey then sternly said, "Her body is failing. She's not adapting to her new body as she had hoped that she would." Patterson frowned and said, "Did you have something to do with this?" Halsey scoffed and shot back, "Do you honestly think that I would want to let her die! Unlike you I'm not in this to experiment on her, I want her to experience her new life the way it was meant to be, and that's by enjoying it, not by being kept in a lab." Patterson folded her arms and said back, "I see, and as moving as that is, we still have an obligation to ONI. Now, get her aboard so that we can depart while there's a clear window for a slip space jump." With a blank look, Halsey paused and then looked back at Shepard. A team of ONI's doctors approached the Hell Jumper with a stretcher for him to lay the clone on. She then calmly said, "Shepard, will you lay her down?" He nodded.

He carefully laid Yuna's clones tiny body down onto the padded stretcher; all the while trying to ignore the look of fear that was in her eyes. He watched as her focus slowly turned away from him and then up towards the vivid aurora borealis. She could see twinkling stars flashing like glitter between the ribbons of color and the clone felt the tiniest smile come over her face. She took in a breath and then weakly spoke, "It's so pretty." Shepard immediately looked at her. Her gaze was fixed to the sky and he watched as she then slowly closed her fading neon blue eyes and then watched as her body slowly felt limp. He took in a sharp breath and called out, "Dr. Halsey! What happened!" Halsey frowned. "Her body is failing. She can't support herself." Patterson immediately called out, "Get her on board now! I want all medics on her! Ger her revived!" Instantly, Shepard was shoved out of the way and he watched as the clone was quickly taken aboard one of the Urban Assault Crafts.

Through all of the chaos of Patterson shouting out orders and the troopers scrambling to get back on board, Halsey looked at Shepard and calmly said, "Thank you for your assistance trooper, return to Outpost Bravo and rejoin your platoon. What has happened here is over and I suggest that you forget that this mission ever happened." Shepard didn't even get a chance to argue. Before he could reply, Halsey was already heading towards the Assault Crafts. All he could do was stand back and watch as the crafts immediately powered up their engines and quickly flew up towards the heavens to rejoin with the orbiting UNSC fleet.


	47. THE PROMISE

I apologize for the long delay. I really do. Apparently, just because I'm done with college doesn't mean I have all the free time in the world, go figure huh? But still, I'm back and will try to update as often as possible.

* * *

(CHAPTER 47) THE PROMISE

"Attention!" An officer called out as the doors of a Recovery Shuttle opened. Several lines of UNSC troops stood at attention as Kalder and, Izumi stepped off of the small craft and back onto the tarmac of the base. Kalder held out his gloved hand as Izumi took it and then stepped off of the ship and onto the pavement. "Chancellor on base! Present arms!" The troops instantly snapped to position with their Battle Rifles held at stance.

Neither Kalder nor Izumi paid much attention to the greeting. Both were physically and mentally exhausted from what they had both just been through and they both wanted nothing more than to be back within the safety of Outpost Bravo. Kalder held out his arm which Izumi took as he escorted her. Not a sound was made as they walked past the rows of troops. The only sound came from their footsteps and the distant rumble of UNSC ships as they readied to take off and head back into battle.

Once they neared the main structure of the base, two high ranked officers greeted them. The one spoke, "Chancellor, we are all grateful to see your safe return." Izumi nodded and calmly said, "You have the Spartan's to thank." Izumi then looked at Kalder and gave him a warm smile as she continued, "Were it not for them I wouldn't be here." The officer looked at Kalder and nodded. "Indeed." He then patter his hand on the shoulder plate of Kalder's armor and said, "We owe you a debt of gratitude; all of Aurora does." Kalder simply replied, "It can wait, we just want to get inside and rest." The officer nodded. "Of course." Kalder then asked, "What level are Spartan's 45 and 69 on?" The officer replied as he led them to an elevator. "They're in the central medical wing." "Medical wing?" Kalder asked. He looked at the officer and continued, "Was their last mission that bad?" The officer then motioned towards the large plume of black smoke coming from within the ruins of Eclipse. Kalder and Izumi both looked and saw the aftermath of the Pit's collapse.

Neither had seen it until now. They had landed their escape pod far from the city and the Recovery Shuttle had no windows. Izumi took in a sharp breath and asked, "Is that from the Drill Ship?" The officer shook his head, "Not entirely, it just dug the hole. That is what is left of what it dug after the place exploded. Apparently 45 and, 69 barely made it back from that one." Kalder then looked back at the officer and said sternly, "Take us to them."

* * *

Devon felt stiff as he walked with Anna down the dimly lit corridors of the base. These rapid recovery procedures that he was more often finding himself in were infinitely better than the standard surgeries that took several weeks or even months to fully recover. Still, he pushed his discomfort aside as he felt Anna take his arm as he escorted her towards the Central Medical Wing.

"I was worried," Anna calmly said, "There has been so much chaos around here lately that I was beginning to wonder when Dr. Halsey would return." "She can take care of herself." Devon said. "She's gotten us out of worse." Anna sighed, "Still, I'm just glad to know that she's back and in one piece."

Up ahead was a security door that required a code to access. Anna let go of Devon's arm and quickly typed in her pass code. The door made a dull chime as it unlocked and slid open. Devon looked at Anna and asked, "They really did give you a key to the whole place, didn't they?" Anna smiled, "How else am I going to get around?"

The two stepped through the door and quickly passed through a small hall that was lined with several unoccupied offices. Anna again opened the final door that led into the main lobby of the Central Medical Wing. Inside, the room was circular with four separate halls leading away from the main room. Standing in the center of the room; however, was someone that Devon didn't expect to see. He saw the black armor plating along with the black visor that belonged to only one Spartan.

"…Really? Really?" Devon called out, "They sent you?" Jimmy turned to face Devon and then took his helmet off. With his usual grin he replied, "Yeah! They told me the Spartan that was here couldn't handle it so they sent a good one." Devon walked up to Jimmy and crossed his arms and shot Jimmy a stern look. "Ya' know…" Devon said back, "you're really lucky I don't have a gun on me right now." "Pff! Even at point blank you would still miss." Devon raised an eyebrow, "Wanna find out?" Anna was getting nervous at hearing the two argue. She had never seen two Spartan's fighting one another like this before.

Devon and Jimmy both stared each other down with looks of hate in their faces. After a few seconds of silence both Devon and Jimmy started to grin and finally the two laughed. The two then bumped fists and Devon said, "It's good to see you again." "Jimmy nodded and said, "I know right! It's not a party unless Jimmy's here!" Anna then approached the two. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought you two were about to fight." Devon grinned and said, "Nah, we just like to razz each other." Jimmy then cut in and said, "Yeah, we've always been like this. But in all seriousness, he would have missed." Devon snapped his attention back to Jimmy, "Oh please!" "What!" Jimmy shot back with a shrug, "You remember those paintball matches during training, you could never hit me." "That's because you always camped in a gilly suit!" "Hey!" Jimmy argued, "It worked didn't it?" Anna looked at Devon as if she were expecting an answer. Devon rolled his eyes, "Yes…"

Devon shook his head and then said, "Where's Dr. Halsey?" Jimmy's amusement faded. He then clipped his helmet to the side of his battle suit and said, "She isn't here." Devon raised an eyebrow. "She isn't? We were told to meet her here." "No, you were told to meet MISS. Halsey here, not doctor." "Who's Miss. Halsey then?" Jimmy then motioned for them to head down to one of the hallways. "She's in the last room, don't cause a scene when you see her." Devon was confused but simply nodded and replied, "Alright. Are you coming?" Jimmy shook his head, "No, I was told to wait here. Apparently Kalder just got back here with the Chancellor. You guys really need to quit leaving me out of all of the exciting missions." "Okay, come join us when they get here." He then motioned for Anna to follow him and the two headed down towards the room.

"Izumi is safe." Anna sighed with relief, "I'm so glad." Devon looked down at her as she continued, "I want to see her." Devon kept walking and said, "Let's take care of this and then we'll go meet up with them." Anna nodded. She tried her hardest to keep her cool while on the inside she was jumping with joy. She had the comfort of at least knowing that Izumi was safe now; but as a friend, she wanted to be with her instead of completing her assignment. Still, she knew her duty and she held back her urge.

As the two walked Anna calmly asked, "There's someone else from the Halsey family here?" As Devon readied to open the door to the room she was in he replied, "Apparently, but none that I knew of. I don't know anything about Dr. Halsey's family other than she had Granddaughters but, the Covenant killed them a few years back when they glassed their planet." "How sad." She said softly as the two walked inside. Devon nodded, "We don't like to talk about that one."

They arrived at their destination and went inside. In the room, the two could see a girl with glasses standing in front of a large observation window. She wore a high ranked ONI officer's uniform; as well as, a uniform beret that covered her loop tailed metallic sky blue hair. "Yuna?" Devon asked softly, "What are you doing here?" Yuna looked up at Devon as he entered. She turned to face him and calmly spoke, "Only call me Yuna when we're away from the UNSC; from now on, you will refer to me as ONI High Intelligence Officer Yukari Halsey, am I clear?"

Anna slowly stepped forward towards Yuna. "Hold on a minute…" Anna calmly said as she studied Yuna's delicate features. Anna recognized the familiar height, build and overall features. She had seen her before. She gasped and immediately froze, "Aren't you supposed to be an A.I.?" Yuna managed a small smile and calmly told her, "A lot more than combat happened to us when we were below the surface. Which is why I need you two to follow my orders and do as I say. Are we clear?" Devon silently nodded and replied, "Yes Ma'am." Yuna then looked at Anna and asked, "As well as you, do you understand?" Anna immediately nodded. She completely understood the miracle that had happened here. She too replied, "You have my word not only as a member of the Imperial Palace, but as a friend too." Yuna managed a smile. "Thank you." She said.

Anna paused as Devon continued his conversation with Yuna. It had happened. The creators…, her ancestors, had once again done the impossible. She debated on speaking but held her thoughts. This was something best kept quiet for now. She then heard Devon ask, "How's he doing?" Anna then took notice of what was on the other side of the window that Yuna had been standing in front of. It over looked a large operating room. Lying on the table was Eric. He had an oxygen mask around his mouth and doctors were attending to injuries on his torso.

Yuna continued to look on as she calmly replied, "They said he should be fine but the past few days has been wearing down hard on his body. They want him to take it easy for a few days but we all know that won't happen." Devon silently nodded and then asked, "Are you worried about him?" Yuna forced a smile as she looked back towards her Spartan as he lay on the operating table, she then replied in her usual sassy voice, "No, I just like watching big dumb animals." Devon grinned and then continued, "You're with the right group." "Oh, I know." She replied. She watched as a team of medics wheeled Eric to a recovery room. She couldn't help but watch until he was completely out of sight.

Behind them, the door slid open and Jimmy stepped in the room. He then said, "Attention!" Devon immediately regained his military composure and stood proper. He knew that Jimmy was usually loose humored but he was also military when the time came for it. Jimmy then too stood at attention as Kalder walked inside the room escorting Chancellor Izumi.

"Izumi!" Anna called out as she quickly stepped forward and past Kalder to embrace her friend. Izumi, with a warm smile on her face embraced Anna. Anna could feel the tears of joy stream down her face. She didn't care, she had been so scared for Izumi over the past few days. She could now rest easier and finally allow herself to relax knowing that this planets beloved ruler; as well as, her best friend was now safe. Izumi smiled as she held onto Anna. She heard her muffled quiet voice say, "I was so scared… I thought I was never going to see you again." Izumi calmly replied, "Everything is fine now."

Devon walked up to Kalder. Devon smiled and grinned, "Well I'll be damned, you actually took on an entire Heavy Assault Carrier and won." Kalder took his helmet off and stood with a proud smile, "Would you honestly expect any less of me?" For once, Devon didn't have a witty comeback. All he could do was hold his fist out. Kalder smiled and the two bumped fists as Devon replied, "Good work, Kalder."

Kalder then looked up at Yuna. He, much like the others couldn't find the words. All he said was, "Jimmy gave me a quick briefing to soften the blow," He paused as he slowly approached her, "I still can't believe it's actually true." Yuna looked up at Kalder and replied, "Just keep this to yourself, you know just as well as the rest the Spartan's here do of what kind of situation I'm in." Yuna then took notice of Izumi who was looking at her. She stiffened her composure and continued, "It's a good thing I'm asking you to break military law right in front of a planetary ruler, huh?"

Izumi and Anna's embrace broke as Izumi stepped forward. She looked towards the Spartan's and said, "Would you three excuse us?" Kalder nodded, "Of course." He then motioned for Devon and Jimmy to follow. After they had left the room Izumi looked back to Yuna and then calmly said, "You met her, didn't you?" Yuna looked at Izumi and paused. "Her?" She asked cautiously. Izumi then continued, "The one cloaked in light, Veil." Yuna didn't hesitate. Izumi was still around her age but she was still the Chancellor. She knew better than to hide information from planetary rulers.

Yuna slowly nodded and reached into her small polished leather bag and pulled out a small hard shelled case. She held it up and opened it revealing her former data chip which now held Veil. "I did more than meet her, we rescued her." Yuna carefully pulled out the data chip and held it in front of Izumi. "She's been asleep for a while. My guess would be from the lack of space for her to move around." Izumi held out her hand and carefully took Veil's chip. "You removed her from the core?" "Rescued." Yuna replied. "The Covenant were to close to her location. Both Eric and I felt that extracting her and keeping her in the UNSC's hands rather than the Covenants was best."

Izumi silently nodded. "I understand." She calmly said. "However, I'm sure you know by now what she is and who created her?" Yuna nodded. "Yes, she shared her memories with me. All of her thoughts and feelings and her creators own desire to do for her what she has done for me." "Life?" Izumi calmly asked. Yuna again nodded and said back, "Yes." Yuna paused and then asked, "Chancellor Izumi, if I may ask, how do you…" Izumi immediately cut in and said, "Know so much about Veil?" "Yes." Yuna replied.

Izumi closed her eyes and smiled. She then continued, "There's no point in keeping it from you, you have already experienced my ancestors power first hand." "Ancestors?" Yuna asked. Izumi continued, "Anna and I aren't just Auroran's. Our families blood lines date back to even before that of any human." She paused and said, "Anna and I are Forerunner's, Yuna."

Yuna's eyes widened. She paused and she fought to find the words. "Forerunner's? But how? The Halo rings…" Izumi again cut her off and continued, "The Halo's are what saved us." Anna then spoke up and said, "The Halo's were used to eliminate the flood and in the process, they did indeed destroy nearly all of our race. However, a small group of us survived."

Izumi then said, "My ancestors, as well as Anna's were sent to one of the Ark Planets along with a few other families. Our ancestors were sent in secret to help repopulate our race after the Halo's were fired. Once the flood was deemed "contained" they were sent to other solar systems to begin repopulating." Yuna cut in and asked, "But I don't understand. If you repopulated, why isn't your race completely rebuilt?"

Anna then replied, "Our ancestors numbers were far to few to complete this task on their own. Fortunately, they managed to travel to the human colonies as well as this planet once it had already been repopulated by the Auroran's. Izumi's ancestors were revered on this world as their rulers and because of that, her families blood line will continue to govern this world, just as my ancestors have always been along side hers as their guardians." "Guardians?" Yuna asked. Anna smiled and nodded as she continued. "Yes, being a Palace Maid is a "front" if you will. My duty is to remain by Izumi's side and always ensure that she is safe. However, I'm not nearly as skilled as my ancestors were as far as combat and defense are concerned. I do my part by simply ensuring her safety in the palace and remaining by her side as a close friend."

Yuna didn't know what to think. The UNSC's intelligence had listed the Forerunner's as a dead race but standing right before her were two Forerunner girls. She calmly asked as she fought to find the right words. "I can imagine that you already know more about the Forerunner's than the UNSC's top intelligence could ever dream of knowing; but I need to know, is there anyway to give us the upper hand on the Covenant right now?"

"You already have the upper hand." Izumi replied calmly. "The Theta's." Yuna paused for a moment and thought. The Theta's had tried to kill Eric and Kalder only a few days earlier; however, they were under some sort of Covenant mind control. Granted, they had helped her in the pit and Veil had explained their purpose, but still, she couldn't shake the tiny hint of doubt from her mind.

Izumi approached her and gently placed her hands on Yuna's shoulders. "You're thinking of what happened to Eric back in the glass fields, aren't you?" Yuna again paused and then silently nodded. Izumi made a warm smile and continued, "We both know why that happened." "I know but…" Yuna began to protest but was cut off by Izumi's finger being put over her delicate lips. Izumi then softly continued, "The Theta's may have been created to kill, but they will not harm their creators. I know the Covenant was able to manipulate their minds, but with Veil awake, and the Theta's back under our control, that incident wont repeat itself."

Anna then walked over to the two and calmly said, "We have trusted the humans for a long time now, won't you trust our race once more? Like your race did so many millennia ago?" Yuna sighed and spoke in a half hushed voice, "I never didn't trust the Forerunner's, I only recently learned why they had to reset the universe. You aren't bad people for doing that, you saved us all, but the Covenant don't realize that, they want to use your power to kill us all once more. All of us, every soldier, every last Spartan and A.I. are fighting to prevent that again." Yuna paused and then continued, "We'll do whatever it takes."

Yuna felt her PDA vibrate. She pulled it from its clip and read the incoming message. She looked back at Izumi and Anna and said, "I have to cut this short; I'm needed at Command. "I understand." Izumi said as she walked forward and took Yuna's tiny hands in hers. She calmly continued, "And you don't have to worry. You have my word as Chancellor that I will keep your secret safe." Yuna smiled. "Thank you, and your secret is safe with me as well."

* * *

Yuna walked out of the observation room and headed out towards where the others were waiting. Both Izumi and Anna followed close behind as they headed out towards the central hall of the medical wing.

Up ahead, the girls could see both Devon and Jimmy talking to Kalder. They already knew that their conversation was about Yuna. As they approached, their conversation stopped and they turned to face them. There was silence until Yuna spoke. She looked at Kalder and asked, "I'm assuming that they told you how this happened?" Kalder paused and then finally said, "If they had told me that this happened to you before I got back, I wouldn't believe it." Yuna paused and shot Kalder a stern look. "You still remember your order's from when you all first received us as you're A.I., correct? You are to protect you're A.I. with your life, even if that means that you will have to die for your A.I. to complete her mission. Do you remember?" Kalder's focus was locked on Yuna; he still couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real.

He nodded and then said, "We all made a promise that day. You girls mean the world to us. You've kept us alive when we were staring death in the face. I wouldn't abandon you, or any of the other A.I., especially now that this has happened." Yuna approached Kalder and asked calmly, "So I can trust you?" Kalder made a grin and said, "If I let any word of this get to the wrong people, Eric would kill me, so I think you're safe." Yuna nodded and quietly said, "Thank you."

Devon cut in, "Speaking of him, he should be waking up soon. I don't know about you but if I had just woken up from the surgery that he just went through, I'm pretty sure he'll want to see a face that he cares about." Yuna nodded. "Alright, are you all coming as well?" Kalder replied, "I think it would be best if just you went." Yuna silently nodded. "Alright; I'm going to check in with Command and then head I'll head down."

* * *

(LOCATION) AURORA HIGH ORBIT

The black urban assault craft finished docking in the shuttle bay of the UNSC Frigate, Montana. The rear hatch of the assault craft opened and a team of medics wheeled the stretcher out with Yuna's clone lying lifeless on the bedding. During the flight into outer orbit, her heart rate had completely ceased and her breathing stopped. She was gone.

"Take her body to cryo." Patterson called out. "We need her prepped for study when we arrive at Riehl." "Yes Ma'am." The medics replied. Both Dr. Halsey and Patterson stood and watched as the medics wheeled the stretcher away. When they were completely out of sight, Halsey spoke quietly, "Well I hope you're pleased." Patterson scoffed. "You should watch what you say, you're lucky I don't have you arrested for this." "They wouldn't arrest me for doing my job." Halsey replied. "This is my field, not yours, Debora." Patterson shot back, "My field involves overseeing anything that your section does, every A.I. that is created, every change that is made to your Spartan Program, and every discovery that is made through you."

Halsey looked at Patterson and continued, "And now you'll never know the wealth of knowledge that we could have learned from her. You let your greatest discovery die, and now all you have to work with is a body that is worth nothing more to you than for an autopsy report."

The two women locked eyes and neither spoke. It wasn't until Dr. Halsey's PDA chimed that the silence was broken. Halsey answered the device and said, "Halsey here." Patterson could hear the sound of a panicked voice talking to Halsey. She was only able to pick out words that were spoken loudly by the voice on the other end. Patterson could recognize the voice, Halsey was talking to Lord Hood. She also heard the words Earth, and 117."

Halsey replied in a worried tone, "I understand, I'll be on the next ship out." She ended the call and looked at Patterson. "You're accusations of me are going to have to wait. I have a larger issue to handle than worrying about your career." As Halsey began to walk away, Patterson called out, "And what is so important that you're willing to risk your career?" Halsey stopped and turned to face Patterson. She frowned and said, "Because Debora, the Covenant have found Earth."

* * *

Yuna walked down the halls of the base with her mind in constant thought as it always was. As she walked, she pulled out a file from the polished black leather UNSC bag she was given. She quickly opened it and read through all of the fine print and red lettering. All of it she instantly grasped and understood thanks to her unusually high intellect.

As she headed towards the Command sector of the base, she felt her pulse quicken. She would never admit it, but she was nervous. She was about to assume the roll of her cousin, Yukari Halsey with the rank of ONI - High Intelligence. She was now at the top.

She made her way down the hall that led towards the Command center and quickly made sure that her uniform was in proper order. She quickly pulled her elegant, oval rimed glasses out of her pocket and placed them on the bridge of her nose. With a stern look on her face, she approached the guards and said, "Yukari Halsey reporting." The guard instantly nodded and granted her access.

Yuna stepped inside the Command center and looked around. Something was noticeably wrong. Command centers, be they on a ship or in a base were a constant hornets nest of higher ranked officers rushing back and forth between one another and monitoring different stations. The situation in this room was much different. She noticed everyone crowded around a large monitor with oddly enough, the news on the large main view screen.

As she stepped down towards the group of officers, she heard the reports of Earth in chaos. She didn't focus on it immediately until she approached one of the Command officers and calmly said, "Sir, Yukari Halsey, ONI - High Intelligence. I'm here to take command of the Spartan teams." The officer looked down at Yuna and said, "I apologize Ma'am, but your full report is going to have to wait." He then motioned towards the monitor.

Yuna looked up and instantly her eyes widened when she saw the headline at the bottom of the screen, "Covenant Invasion of Earth". Yuna gasped and heard the news anchor say, "New reports coming in of the invasion which began only forty minutes ago. The UNSC has confirmed the destruction of two of its orbital guns, the Athens and the Malta a short time ago." The news anchor paused and then said, "Hold on, we have a new report coming in of the destruction of one of the Covenant Super Carriers that was headed for the surface." The picture changed and an orbital camera showed the destruction of the Super Carrier. It looked like it had detonated form the inside. Immediately, one of the officers in the Command center called out, "Reports coming in, SPARTAN-117 destroyed that carrier with the bomb that was meant for the Cairo!"

"John." Yuna uttered. The officer continued, "He's heading for the surface now on the ship In Amber Clad." Several of the officers let out a cheer of approval and others simply talked amongst themselves. The officer that Yuna had recently spoken with tapped her on the should and said, "I suppose now is a good a time as any." He then motioned her to follow.

Yuna followed him over to his large desk that was lined with monitors and computer panels. He motioned for Yuna to give him the folder that she was holding and she instantly handed it to him. He quickly opened it and read through the fine print. Yuna simply stood motionless and watched with her hands folded elegantly at her waist. He then closed the folder and said, "You're here to continue your Grandmothers work then?" Yuna nodded. "Yes Sir. The Spartan's on this planet are now my responsibility and are now under my command. I trust it's all there in red ink." He nodded and motioned towards the large screen in the command room. "Well, if you're Spartan's can pull the kind of stunts that 117 just did, I don't think we'll have any problems." Yuna replied, "With respect, Sir, my Spartan's are never the problem. They follow orders without question and will stop at nothing to finish their mission."

The officer nodded, "Good to hear, because one of your Spartan's left a mission half finished." "Sir?" Yuna questioned. The officer leaned forward and said, "It seems, Miss. Halsey, that SPARTAN-73 left the Prophet's ship still intact before he returned to the surface." Yuna instantly shot back, "He had the Chancellor of Aurora in his care, attempted destruction of a Covenant Super Carrier with a planetary ruler on the same vessel is a violation of UNSC law." "And I understand that," The officer replied, "which is why I'm about to assign your Spartan's their next objective."

He pulled out a file and slid it towards Yuna. She picked it up and opened it and inside read the words, "DEMOLITION" She inhaled a sharp breath and then asked, "Are you sending my Spartan's to…" She was cut off by the officer saying back, "Destroy the Prophet's ship? Yes. Those are orders direct from Supreme Commander Drake himself." "Why not just attack with heavy MAC rounds? There's more than enough UNSC ships in a blockade orbit around that carrier to blow it out of the sky." The officer replied, "Because Miss. Halsey, we still have a very valuable piece of equipment aboard that ship." "Sir?" She asked. He then replied without a show of emotion, "We still have an A.I. aboard that ship." Yuna gasped, "Mitsuki." she uttered to herself. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten about her sister. "She didn't return with Number 73?" Yuna asked.

"Negative." He replied, "73's report stated that she stayed behind to help him and Chancellor Izumi escape. We can't allow her to be destroyed. We understand that she did a complete ship interface while aboard. She has data that is invaluable to the UNSC, we can't afford to loose that. Which is why your Spartan's are being deployed for a package retrieval as well as a demolition operation. We're counting on them to kill that prophet with the ship." He then sifted through paperwork on his desk and pulled out a form. He quickly read over it and said, "You're Spartan's are to be prepped for combat within twenty four hours time to meet with Supreme Commander Drake aboard his ship. The sooner they are back in their armor and deployed the better." Yuna paused for a moment and then said calmly, "Yes Sir." He nodded and said, "You have your orders." Yuna silently nodded and left the Command center.

* * *

Eric's eyes slowly opened. His vision blurred as he groggily tried to shake off the effects of his anesthesia. The sound in the room was muffled as he tried to focus on what was going on around him. His eyes fluttered again and his vision slowly began to return as he saw the color of sky blue before him. He again fluttered his eyes open as his vision began to return as well as the sounds of the soft beeps coming from his life support systems.

His vision finally cleared and he saw Yuna standing in front of him with a warm smile on her face. He groggily said, "Yuna." She slowly approached him and replied, "Mhmm, it's me." Eric forced a smile through the fading effects of his anesthesia. Yuna then continued, "How are you feeling?" Eric slowly looked at himself and laughed. "I've been in worse shape than this." A smile then appeared on Yuna's china doll lips as she looked at her Spartan. "You still worry me, you know that right?" Eric looked up at her and said back, "I have to keep you on your toes somehow."

Eric then forced himself to sit up. "Hold on. Don't be pushing yourself right after you just woke up." "I'm alright." Eric told her, "I'm just sitting up." Yuna placed her delicate hands on her Spartan's back and helped him sit up. He groaned as his stiff muscles flexed. He was given tissue building stimulants to aid in a quick recovery but they did little for his post surgery discomfort.

"How's Devo?" Eric asked as he flexed his muscles. "He's already up and walking." Yuna told him reassuringly. Eric sighed, "Damn, he beat me." "Kalder and Izumi made it back safely as well." Yuna continued. "Are they both alright?" He asked. Yuna replied, "Izumi was fine, she just needs rest. Kalder made it back with only a few small scuffs. I wish the same could have been said about you." "You know me." Eric told her. Yuna sighed, "All too well." She looked back at Eric and said, "Jimmy is here as well." Eric raised an eyebrow. "…Really? They sent Jimmy?" Yuna silently nodded. "Yes, he has been my escort while you were in surgery." "Escort?" Eric asked. Yuna replied, "Yes, he has helped in keeping me away from ONI." Eric paused and then asked, "Are you safe now?" She instantly replied, "I've assumed the roll of my cousin and I'm now in command of the Spartan's on this planet." Eric paused and then continued, "So we got you away from ONI and now you're working for them?" Yuna smiled sassily and then continued, "I'm in the last place where they would expect me to be. As long as you can keep quiet about what happened down there, and where I am now and what I'm doing, then yes." Eric nodded and then the two sat in silence. Eric didn't even know where to begin asking how Yuna managed to pull this one off, then again, he wasn't one to question Yuna, she had never been wrong about her own judgment before, he didn't expect her to start having faults anytime soon.

There was a moment of silence before Yuna finally spoke, "Eric…, something has happened, something bad." Eric looked over at Yuna. She was sitting clenching her hands into fists and she shifted uneasily. "What is it?" Eric asked. She sighed and said, "The Covenant found Earth." "What?" Eric called out. "Did they glass?" Yuna shook her head. "No, so far only large scale orbital battles and deployments of enemy forces are centered around the city of New Mombasa. Dr. Halsey is heading to Earth now and John has already been deployed into the city."

Eric sighed, "And what about us?" Yuna replied softly, "You, Devon, and Kalder are to get back in your armor as soon as you feel recovered and report to Supreme Commander Drake within twenty four hours." Eric stood. Yuna looked up at him as he flexed his stiff muscles and heard him instantly ask, "Then where is my armor? I can be prepped and ready to move in thirty minutes." Eric began to move around his recovery room looking for his belongings. "Where's my under-suit?" He asked. Yuna stood, "Eric, can I talk to you about something?"

Still only at half focus, Eric continued to look for his things and continued to go over his upcoming tasks. He spoke to himself, not really paying attention to what Yuna was saying, "It's probably with the rest of my suit I'm guessing. Are Devo, Kalder, and Jimmy prepped for deployment?" "You aren't even listening to me, are you?" Yuna calmly said to herself as Eric continued, "Yuna, can you get me in contact with the others so we can go over orders?" Yuna slowly walked up to her Spartan and reached her tiny hand up to him. "They want us within 24 hours right? Well that's too much time, we're ready now…" Eric felt a hand on his back. He stopped and slowly turned. He saw Yuna looking up at him with a rare look of concern and worry on her face.

"You aren't even listening to what I'm trying to tell you." Eric sighed, "I'm sorry, what is it?" Yuna turned her focus away from him and then uttered out, "Eric, these past hours of my short new life have opened my eyes to so many things… I've experienced so much in so little time. I've learned so many new things and have got to experience life in a whole new perspective. Now things are finally hitting home for me."

Eric looked at Yuna as her voice began to tremble. "Yuna?" He asked. She sighed and continued. "I know better than anyone the risks that you have to face every day that you're in battle. I've seen those risks increase over these past few days. As an A.I. I've learned so many new things but now I'm learning from a different point of view." She looked back at her Spartan and continued with an openly trembling voice, "Are you aware where you're being deployed?" Eric paused and then said back, "To Drake's ship, as you told me." Yuna shook her head and continued, "That's only to receive orders; you are being sent aboard the Prophet's ship to finish the job that Kalder started."

Eric paused and then asked, "Their sending us to kill the Prophet?" Yuna paused and simply nodded her head. Eric sighed. He knew what this meant. Troops that were deployed for high risk missions like this usually didn't come back. He knew so many Spartan's that had died aboard Covenant ships, now the feeling of being added to that list was finally coming to haunt him. He simply said, "Yuna, everything will be fine, I'll just…" He was cut off as Yuna yelled, "How do you know, Eric?" Tears were now openly flowing over her china doll cheeks. "How do you know that everything will be fine? This isn't one of your ground missions with a simple objective, you're going to be on Covenant territory now, in their world, in the area's they know and patrol, you're going to be on the most highly guarded Covenant ship in the system. How do you know that everything will be fine, Soldier Boy? What makes you so sure of this mission out of all the other's that nearly killed you during this war?"

There was a moment of silence as the two simply stared at each other. Eric couldn't find the words. Yuna frowned and simply nodded her head. In a shaky voice, Yuna said calmly, "I'm going now. I have work to do." She turned and headed for the door. Eric called out as he went to try and stop her, "Yuna wait." He tried to grab her hand to stop her and she instantly slapped him away. "Don't touch me!" She called out. "Yuna, come on!" Eric replied. He again reached out and grabbed her hand. "Just listen to me!" He said, "Let me go!" She yelled as he took a hold of her hand. "Yuna stop!" He yelled as he tried to pull her back. "I said let me go!" She openly shouted, "I don't want to see you again!" Eric tried to pull her back as she continued to yell, "Let me go you bastard! I hate you!"

Eric pulled her back and she turned to face him as she was pulled into his chest. She instantly began to punch at his chest and torso as she now openly cried and called out, "I hate you! I hate you, Eric! I hate you so god damned much!"

Eric calmly reached his arms down and wrapped them around Yuna. As soon as he held her; Yuna stopped hitting him and buried her face into his chest and cried. "…Yuna." He said calmly, "Everything is going to be okay." Yuna shook her head. "I can't take this." She stammered. "I don't want to watch you get sent on a suicide mission." He gently placed his hand on her head and softly stroked her silky smooth sky blue hair. "It's alright. I'm going to be fine. We all will."

Yuna felt her legs tremble and felt them give out from under her. Eric carefully knelt down and helped her sit on the floor. He didn't let go of her. He just wanted to hold her and let her know that everything was going to be alright. As she openly cried he calmly said, "You know, I've been sent to fight against a lot of things in my life; rebels, terrorists, aliens. You think I would have called it quits a long time ago. But I didn't. As many times as I wanted to give up this life and go home to my parents and sister, I didn't. I don't really know why I chose to stay, even after I helped Daisy and the others escape from Reach when we were still in training, I stayed behind. I guess it's either because I'm an idiot; which you always seem to agree with, or maybe it's because both you and I don't like leaving a job half finished."

Yuna slowly looked up at him with her glassy, tear stained eyes as he continued. "I don't show fear, I'm not allowed too." He looked down at her as he continued, "But you know when I'm scared, don't you? You always have. You know that I'm scared right now, don't you?" Yuna didn't reply, she simply let out another whimper as he continued, "But you know what," Eric said, "Fear can kiss my ass right now. Lives are in danger, my home planet is suffering, and you are in the center of this with me. I'm not going to stop until my world is safe, and I'm not going to stop until you're safe." Eric paused and continued as he lifted Yuna's chin up to look at him, "You mean the world to me Yuna. You always have, even back when you were still my A.I., I've always fought to protect you and everyone else. Do you know how scared I was when I thought I lost you in the underground? I thought I lost the most important person in my life down there." Yuna inhaled a sharp breath. She felt her Spartans embrace and felt the most overwhelming feeling of safety and comfort.

Eric looked into her bright, neon blue eyes and said calmly, "Do you know what it was like for me when I found you in the core?" "No." Yuna uttered, "I can only compare it to the joy I felt. Being able to feel your touch for the first time." Eric nodded. "And being able to feel your embrace." Eric leaned down and watched as Yuna slowly closed her eyes. He slowly leaned in and their lips met. He felt as Yuna slowly raised her arms and placed her delicate hands on his face. He simply tightened his embrace on her as the two kissed.

Yuna didn't want this moment to end. She wanted nothing more than to stay in the safety of her Spartan's arms throughout the rest of this war. She wanted nothing more than for this moment to never end.

Eric slowly pulled away and couldn't help but stare into Yuna's eyes. He carefully ran his thumb over her cheeks and wiped her tears away. He then calmly spoke, "Yuna, you mean the world to me. I can't imagine life without you." He paused and then calmly continued, "Yuna…, I lo…" Yuna placed a finger over his mouth and cut him off. "Don't say it!" She said quietly with a shaky voice. "Don't say it… Not yet. Don't say it to me until you come back from the Prophet's ship." Eric paused and then nodded as he said. "I promise you. I'll come back." He then helped Yuna to her feet and the two stood silent.

Yuna heard her PDA click with static and then heard Devon call out, "Yuna, we're heading to the armory to get suited up, if Eric is up and moving, tell him we're ready for combat prep." Yuna slowly pulled her PDA up and pushed a small red button on the side of the device and opened her personal COM. "Understood." She said in the most normal voice she could manage. "He'll be there ASAP." Yuna then slowly clipped her PDA back to her polished belt clip and said calmly, "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."

* * *

(LOCATION) COVENANT HEAVY ASSAULT CARRIER, THE PURIFYING FLAME

-SHIP MAIN DATA HUB-

"Tell me Kalder, were you happy to be paired with an A.I. like me?" Mitsuki's hologram fuzzed with static and her figure would openly distort. A clear sign of internal damage to her system matrix. She sat in a dark room that had neither walls nor ceiling; and the only source of light came from Mitsuki's hologram. She sat on the ground with her thigh high boots crossed with a large book in front of her.

"I know I'm not the strongest, most outgoing, or even the bravest of my sisters, but I was always there for you. I've been at your side for countless battles, and helped you defeat armies that outnumbered us one hundred to one. You are so brave, like all of the Spartans, but to me, I could always tell that you had something the others didn't. I'm not exactly sure what it was, or even if it were true, but to me, you always had that extra ounce of driving force. A force that kept not only you, but me going as well. Yuna and Dokuro would simply say that it was all in my mind, but even I know that they feel the same for both Devon and Eric. It was that force that kept me going all of these years and through all of these battles, even though I am timid and easily frightened."

Her dainty, glowing fingers sifted through the pages of this large book which contained all of her memories. In her oblivious mind, she simply sat with a faint smile on her lips as she looked through mass of information. She recalled it all. Countless pictures of battles, images of places they had been and seen together as well as pictures of Eric and Devon and several other Spartan's including other A.I.'s.

"…So tell me Kalder, were you happy to be paired with an A.I. like me?" Her hologram again distorted. Clearly the small anomalies that she had assumed were minor fragments of corrupt data which could be easily repaired at a later time were beginning to become more of a concern. In her mind she knew that something was very wrong, but at this point, she was powerless to fight back and correct the problem. She could feel the corrupt Covenant data beginning to mutate inside her, she could feel it changing, changing everything.

The data knew what she wanted and it wanted a way out and to live again. It fed off of her thoughts and her desires, and it began to feed off of Mitsuki's biggest desire. The virus of Covenant data that flowed through her programming began to mutate and move. Mitsuki could feel it. It hurt unlike any pain she had ever felt but she was unable to react to it. She could only sit and stare at her memories in the large book that was laid out before her. She felt a stab of pain come from her back, almost as if something was being torn from her, and she could feel her nano crystalline fluid bleeding out from her back as something tore its way free.

Tears openly flowed from her eyes as pain filled her, but she still couldn't react to it. It was as if she were being locked by this book of memories. She felt something continue to tear its way out and then in a final instant, the pain stopped. Mitsuki let out a muffled gasp as her lifeless eyes saw a shimmering light appear above her.

She slowly looked up and saw a stained glass window appear. She looked at it as her sharp, neon green bangs dangled over her face. A design in the glass began to form. Much like in the halls of Notre Dame; a beautiful mosaic of stained glass began to form. She watched as an image appeared in the colors of grey and blue. An image of her Spartan, Kalder formed. It depicted him with Mitsuki standing and lovingly holding onto him while he protected her form an unseen force.

She then heard his voice say to her calmly, "I am happy that you are my A.I." Mitsuki somehow found herself standing. She couldn't even tell if it was under her own free will. She simply stood and felt her blood dripping heavily from her back from a wound that she didn't know the cause of. She looked down and saw a pool of nano crystalline fluid around where she had been sitting. It was an A.I.'s version of blood. In an almost trance like state, she slowly turned and saw him standing before her.

Her eyes widened and welled with tears of joy. She saw Kalder, standing in his grey and blue armor, standing with open arms, ready to embrace her. Without even thinking, Mitsuki slowly walked towards him. As she walked, she heard him say, "This world is a blank canvas. Create it how you see fit. I am the king of this world, and you, Mitsuki, are the Queen."

She slowly went into her Spartan's arms and felt him embrace her. As soon as his arms closed around her, she felt herself immediately being wrapped in light. She felt all of her pain subside and felt a new energy fill her. She opened her eyes wide open and stared up into space with a blank look on her face.

She felt herself begin to change. Her sleek mini skirted outfit began to change. She felt her outfit morph from its sleek, cyber-like design into something different. Her mini skirt morphed into a form fitting elegant, long, black dress with neon green trim at its base. As the gown contoured around her lower body, her top began to change as well. The futuristic black and neon green top began to morph into a gothic style corset with spider like points that spiked out from her slender waist line. The lace on her corset tightened itself around her large chest and slender body. Thin neon green lace straps began to form at her shoulders and long, upper arm length black gloves began to form from the tip of her fingers and roll their way up her arms.

The final thing that changed was her sleek, neon green hair which did duel helix's around her slender body. The black ribbons which kept her hair in the twin tails untied themselves and fell to the floor. Much like her older sister Yuna, Mitsuki also had very long hair. It flowed elegantly around her royal attire and rested in place just below her waist line.

Mitsuki felt Kalder loosen his embrace on her and she slowly stepped back and looked down at herself. She uttered out "I look…" Kalder's hologram then approached her and said, "Beautiful." He then held his hands up and a large emerald necklace which was surrounded by diamonds appeared in his hands. He carefully hooked it around Mitsuki's slender neck and he calmly spoke, "This will bind me to you forever, My Queen."


	48. SEARCH AND RESCUE

This is it. The start of the final phase of Eclipse. Enjoy!

(CHAPTER 48) SEARCH AND RESCUE

12 hours had passed. Eric walked with Yuna towards the armory where his MJOLNIR was being kept. He, as well as Devon, Kalder, and Jimmy were given 10 hours of uninterrupted rest immediately followed by a quick mission briefing from Yuna before they were to be deployed.

"So you're clear on everything that is about to happen then?" Yuna asked in a monotone voice. Eric could only sigh as he said back, "It's pretty self explanatory. Just another suicide mission according to ONI right?" Yuna instantly shot him an angry glare and she shot back, "Don't say that! You know I'm already scared to death about this, don't make it worse than it already is!" Eric paused and said calmly, "I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge right now. I'm trying my best to play this off as an ordinary mission but it's tough." "That's just it." Yuna said back, "This isn't an ordinary mission. I've read every detail about it down to the fine print. You're going up against a Prophet. You've never done that before." "Well, there's a first time for everything I suppose." Eric said back.

Yuna and Eric walked through a door leading into the armory. Inside, Devon, Kalder and Jimmy were already gearing up. Yuna continued softly as she walked in with Eric, "Just please, make sure you're careful." "And the same goes for you." Eric said, "You're going to be covering our mission. I don't want the Covenant to find out where your transmitting from." "They won't find me." Yuna said back.

Eric and Yuna walked up to the others. The two could see Kalder trying out his new Angel Pack for the first time, along with Devon and Jimmy doing quick checks on their own gear. "Look who's here!" Jimmy called out, "We were wondering when you two were going to show up." "Well wonder no more!" Eric called back trying to keep his spirits up. He walked over to his armor and quickly began to take the pieces off of its storage rack and then began assembling the suit around his body.

Yuna then walked up to the Spartans and said, "So you all understand your task?" "Yeah," Devon said back as he adjusted the forearm plates of his armor. "I'm just not planning on rushing to be the first onboard the transport ship." Yuna sighed and said, "Look, I understand that we aren't in the best spot here, but if you don't do this, Aurora will fall." "That won't happen." Eric said as he continued assembling his armor around his body. "As long as I'm still breathing, this world is standing." Kalder then added, "We've seen the worst of what the Covenant can throw at us over the past few days, I doubt anything else can slow us down."

Jimmy cut in and said, "I wish I could throw in something encouraging for this mission but unfortunately, someone thinks that Jimmy should stay back at the base by himself and baby sit." Yuna looked at Jimmy and said back, "You should feel honored to have that assignment; you are now the leader of Chancellor Izumi's guard while she's in the safety of this base. You're her main line of defense against the Covenant right now." Jimmy sighed and said, "You make it sound more glamorous than it actually is. This base is impenetrable right now. There are so many guarding forces surrounding it that if anything suspicious get's within 5 miles of this place, it's getting blasted."

"Jimmy, please." Yuna said back, "Can you for once, just comply with your orders?" As Jimmy readied to argue, his A.I., Adrine appeared. Her hologram stood up in front of Yuna and she said, "I apologize for Jimmy. We will comply with our orders," she then turned her head and faced her Spartan and sternly said, "Without complaint!" She then turned back towards Yuna and said. "We will be honored to serve as the Chancellor's Guard."

Jimmy then shot back, "Hey! I haven't seen action for weeks. It's not my fault I wanna get back out there and fight." Adrine looked back at Jimmy. She ran her delicate fingers through her long, wavy hair and said back to her Spartan, "You need to relax for once in your life. Despite what you think, Guarding the Chancellor is an honor for us. You should be grateful." "I am!" Jimmy called back as he quickly put his helmet on and hid his frustration behind his black tinted visor. "I just can't help that I'm not doing what I was trained to do." Adrine sighed as she walked up to her Spartan. She placed her hand on his black chest plate and calmly said, "I understand, just please, complete this assignment and then we can be reassigned to something that suits your reckless taste more."

Before Jimmy could argue back, a voice came on over the rooms loud speaker. "Spartan team, report to Shuttle Bay 21 ASAP for deployment." Yuna sighed and called back to the COM, "My Spartan's are gearing up, we'll be there in 10." "Understood." The voice replied. Devon then quickly grabbed his helmet and stood. "And so it begins." He said to himself. Kalder then added, "Yeah, and let's end it."

As they headed for the door, Devon called out, "Dokuro, you ready to go?" He didn't hear a reply. "Dokuro?" He again called out. After a moment, her hologram appeared. She stood in front of her Spartan, neither smiling nor speaking, only staring with a blank expression. She was still upset at what had happened between the two earlier, and she wasn't in the mood for talking to her Spartan. She simply replied, "I'll meet you in the hanger, I have mission prep's to complete." Before Devon could reply, her hologram vanished. Devon readied to call out to her but stopped himself, he knew it wouldn't do any good.

"That's a first." Eric said as he finished attaching his Angel Pack to his suit. "I've never seen Dokuro act like that before." Devon didn't reply. He knew exactly what was wrong. He just said, "Let's just go." As he headed for the door.

"What was that about?" Eric asked Yuna. She to paused and simply replied, "Something that her sister understands all to well…" Yuna knew exactly what was wrong. It was the same emotion that she to had experienced when she was an A.I. Simply wanting nothing more than to be with her Spartan forever. She was fortunate enough to have that miracle happen, and she was just realizing that she was not only living her dream, but Mitsuki and Dokuro's as well. She couldn't dwell on it. She had a mission to command and Dokuro would have to sort this one out on her own.

After a short walk, Yuna led the Spartan's into the shuttle bay. The room was buzzing with flight crew. As the group walked in, they were greeted by one of the crew members from Drake's ship. A pilot judging from his uniform. "Spartan's," He said with a salute. "I'm Lieutenant Hawthorn, I'll be taking you to Drake's ship. Eric nodded, "When to we take off?" Hawthorn replied crisply, "As soon as you three are ready."

Before he could continue, one of the crew members in the shuttle bay called out, "Chancellor on deck!" Instantly, the four Spartan's, as well as Yuna and the other flight crew snapped to attention. From one of the entrances to the shuttle bay, Chancellor Izumi walked into the room, accompanied by Anna. Izumi walked up to the Spartan's and calmly said, "At ease." The Spartan's regained their form as Izumi continued, "I came to wish you my blessing before you went back to the Prophet's ship. You have no idea how important this mission is not only to myself, but to Aurora and all of her people. You three Spartan's are this worlds last hope."

"We'll finish this, Chancellor." Eric said back, "I'm not letting anything else happen to my home." "Your words are a comfort after everything that has happened. However, I won't lie when I say that the three of you have a rough road ahead before you reach your goal." "That's never stopped us before." Kalder added. "We'll make it through." Izumi made a gentle smile and approached the Spartan's. She said calmly, "You three will have my blessing on this mission." "Thank you, Chancellor." Eric replied.

Yuna then spoke up. "She's right you know, all of Aurora is looking to you to end this. And before you leave, I have your final orders. As you know, you are to report to Supreme Commander Drake immediately, and once he briefs you, I'll be watching over your mission from Command here at the base; however, you will not have a direct line of Communication with me, it's far to risky to communicate through open Surface to Ship COM's. All mission updates will be A.I. fed." Dokuro's hologram then appeared and Yuna continued, "Are your instructions clear?" Yuna asked her sister.

Dokuro nodded and said in a monotone voice, "Crystal." Yuna shot her sister a glance. Her way of letting Dokuro know that she knew what was going on and letting her know that her emotions needed to be pushed aside until after the mission. Yuna then motioned towards Devon. "Are you ready, Dokuro?" Yuna asked. "Yes." She simply replied as she turned to face her Spartan. Still with no expression, she watched as Devon held his hand out and she took it and her hologram vanished as she interfaced herself back into her data chip that was already linked with him. Yuna nodded and then said, "Spartan's, begin operations." "Yes, Ma'am." They all said.

Before the three left, Anna stopped Devon. She walked up to him and calmly said as she tried to hide her worry, "Devon?" He turned to face Anna. He could see her trying to keep herself calm. He took his helmet off and smiled. "Hey, when we get back from this, what do you say we go on a date? Just you and me, maybe dinner and a movie? Does that sound good?" Anna wiped a trickle of tears that were beginning to seep from her eyes. In a shaky voice, she replied, "I would love to." Devon smiled and embraced her. In the back of his mind, it felt like Dokuro had pulsed. His vision blurred and he could see a quick flash of code scrolling in his vision. He knew exactly what had happened. Dokuro was still upset over Anna and it was becoming apparent just how hard it was for her to contain herself. Not wanting to jeopardize the mission because of Dokuro's emotions, he pulled from Anna's embrace and said, "I'll be back before you know it."

Kalder too was approached by Izumi. She took him by his hands and said, "I wish that this moment could have happened under better circumstances." Kalder nodded and said, "It doesn't matter, we already saw that the Covenant can't keep us apart. When I come back, I'll make this moment count, Chancellor." Izumi smiled and said, "I keep telling you, call me Izumi."

The three then headed towards the transport shuttle that would be taking them to Drake's ship. Devon and Kalder both walked up the rear ramp and took their seats. Eric was the last to board. He stood on the ramp and turned. He watched as flight crew's scrambled and readied for the ships takeoff. The shuttles thrusters hummed to life and the craft began to levitate off of the ground.

Eric called out to Jimmy, "Good luck with the girls, Jimmy. Don't let anything happen to them." "Yeah, yeah!" Jimmy called back, "Have fun saving the planet and leaving me behind." Eric laughed to himself until he saw Yuna.

She stood and watched as they took off. He couldn't help but stare into her bright blue eyes and watch as she placed her hand over her heart as the rear hatch slowly closed. He replied by lightly pounding his gloved fist off of his chest plate twice and continued to watch until the rear hatch had completely closed.

The transport shuttle quickly ascended into the heavens and tore through the ribbons of aurora's as it climbed into orbit. The view out of the transports small windows gave a panoramic view of the planet and stars that flickered in the distance of space. Eric looked out of the small view port and watched as the transport shuttle took them towards Drake's ship.

As they ascended, space became littered with debris and the remains of ships that were floating dead in space. "Jesus." Eric uttered. "How many ships were fighting up here while we were planet side?" Kalder looked out of his own view port and replied, "It was a fleet large enough to blockade the remaining Covenant vessels and destroy the majority of their own ships."

Devon looked at the destruction. All of the ships that floated lifeless and surrounded by clouds of debris. He silently shook his head and then looked towards their destination. Up ahead, he could see the corner of a large ring of ships. "There's the blockade." Devon said. The others looked up and Eric replied, "Looks like we still have a lot of ships left." "Let's hope it stays that way." Devon said back.

While they were en route, Dokuro opened her own private COM. A channel that only Smart A.I.'s with certain coding could pick up. She then transmitted, "UNSC A.I. Cereal Number DKR 1373-2 calling all Enhanced Smart A.I.'s in the Luna System. I'm requesting enhanced scans for signs of approaching Covenant vessels towards the system. We cannot afford another invasion at this point. If sign's of another invasion increase, I'm requesting all available firepower to immediately engage."

A few moments after, she received a total of 27 replies. Three of which were from A.I.'s that she knew of.

"This is Shana, aboard The Raven, receiving. Beginning central solar system guard."

"This is Phantaria, aboard Phantom of the Galaxy, receiving. Beginning inner solar system guard."

"This is Kallen, aboard Titans Shadow, receiving. Beginning outer solar system guard."

The transport shuttle continued to drift towards the blockade ring for another five minutes before the ships pilot called over the intercom. "We'll be docking with the Phantom of the Galaxy in two minutes." "Alright." Eric replied.

He watched quietly as the shuttle glided closer towards what looked like an empty area of space. He did notice though, that as they neared their intended destination, space seemed to warp and distort slightly. A clear sign of a cloaked Stealth Ship.

As the shuttle neared, it maneuvered itself into a docking position as it went underneath the cloaked ship and from up above the small craft, a large docking hatch opened giving access to the small shuttle. The small craft quickly docked and the Spartans exited the shuttle.

They stepped outside into the shuttle bay and saw crew members going back and forth doing various tasks. They stepped onto the floor of the stealth ship and heard one of the crewmen call out, "Spartan's on deck!" And instantly all of the workers snapped to attention. The three ignored it as they were led by the shuttles pilot to an elevator. The pilot quickly tapped the button and called for the elevator and said, "This will take you to the bridge." Eric nodded. "Thank you." He said as the doors parted and the three stepped inside.

As the elevator ascended, Devon spoke up, "So…, an Assault Carrier, huh?" "…Yep." Eric replied. "Fantastic right?" Kalder laughed and replied, "If I would have known that we were going to be coming straight back up here, I would have waited for you." Eric shrugged and said, "Well, you can be the one to show us around when we get there. After all, you already destroyed half of the ship right?" "Mitsuki helped too." Eris smiled and said, "Works for me."

The elevator stopped and the doors parted open. Standing on the other side of the door was a young woman wearing the uniform of a Ship Stewardess; the starships version of the Base Intelligence position which Anna held. The girl was tiny, and was clearly Auroran, having deep electric blue hair, much like Eric's, as well as having matching electric blue eyes. Her uniform was elegant compared to other UNSC uniforms. It almost resembled a dress, going down to the knees, colored black with a white blouse underneath as well as having two large UNCS emblems on the front two hems. She also was adorned with several medals pinned to her chest as well as a name tag featuring the ships emblem and her last name of Soran.

She had to look straight up to look at the fully armored Spartans. She said calmly, "Spartan's 45, 69, and 73, please follow me." "Yes Ma'am." The three said. As she led them, she calmly spoke, "Drake is anticipating your arrival. Everyone on board is. The sooner you three are deployed, the sooner we can save Aurora." She paused and then continued, "I think you understand that more than anyone, right number 45?" "Yes Ma'am." Eric replied. "That's why I've been fighting non stop since I got here." As she led them through the corridors of the ship, she replied, "I hope you still have some of that fight left." "We all do, Ma'am." He replied.

After a short walk, the three Spartan's were led to the bridge. Inside the Spartan's could see the ships Captain, Jim Malchiott. They could see him talking to his ships A.I., Phantaria. They watched as the A.I. motion towards them and saw as Malchiott looked over and went to greet them. "Spartan's." He said, "Welcome aboard. The Supreme Commander is waiting for you."

Malchiott led the Spartan's to Drake. He was at the front of the bridge in his Captains Chair with his gaze fixed on the blockade surrounding the Covenant ships. "Supreme Commander, Sir." Malchiott said, "The Spartan's have arrived." Drake then stood and turned. "Spartan's." He said. "At last." The three saluted and Eric replied, "Reporting as ordered, Sir." Drake nodded and asked, "I trust you were already briefed?" "Yes Sir." Eric replied crisply. "We were given the basic rundown of our mission layout. We understand that you will be filling us in on the rest."

Drake nodded and continued, "You were instructed to infiltrate the Prophet's ship and attempt to not only eliminate him, but attempt to recover a missing A.I. as well. I won't lie when I say that this A.I. rescue is a top priority. The amount of data that she now possesses on the Covenant is something we can't afford to loose; however, once those two objectives are achieved, there is one final phase to your mission." Drake pulled up a list of data on a large holo screen and continued, "The final phase of this mission is going to be the most dangerous. Once you have eliminated Redemption, you are to initiate a demolition operation on the entire ship."

Eric cut in and said, "This is sounding like a one way trip, Sir." Drake paused. "Not if what I have planned for you three works as intended." "Sir?" Eric asked. Drake walked towards the front of the bridge. He looked out of the large viewport towards the surface of Aurora and said, "Number forty five, your A.I. was terminated in your last mission, correct?" Eric paused. He still wasn't aware that Drake knew about Yuna. He swallowed hard and replied, "Yes Sir, she experienced catastrophic system failure when she was interfaced with the underground networks core." Drake slowly turned and continued, "I am aware, among other things about her. Still, this mission is to risky for the three of you with only the aid of one A.I. After all, you said it yourself, Number seventy six that your A.I. was damaged before you escaped the ship the first time." "Yes Sir." Kalder replied. Drake nodded and continued, "Seeing as how her current status is unknown and with a ship this large and with possible unknown threats, I think it would be best if you had a little extra help."

He walked towards a holo panel and then said, "Dokuro, will you appear for me please?" Almost instantly, Dokuro's hologram appeared and she calmly said, "Of course Supreme Commander." Drake then continued, "I wanted you to be a part of this too, Dokuro. This will not only benefit the other Spartan's, but yourself as well." He then said, "Phantaria, will you bring her to the bridge?"

"Of course." Phantaria replied happily. "Just a moment please." Phantaria's orange hue vanished from sight and almost instantly she returned. Cradled in her arms and resting against her chest plate, was a pulsing white orb adorned with two crossing blue rings, much like the planet Saturn. Phantaria calmly said, "She's still asleep. Please try not to startle her." Phantaria then lay the small orb down on her holo panel and then she vanished.

The three Spartan's watched on as drake approached the holo panel. Dokuro too was curious. She looked at Drake and asked, "Supreme Commander, who is this?" Drake smiled lightly and replied, "She's the newest member of your team." Drake then tapped a series of buttons on the base of the holo panel and the white orb flashed and vanished leaving behind the small figure of a little girl. She was adorned in a cyber styled white mini skirted outfit with a royal blue blouse with pleated points near the bottom and topped with thin shoulder straps. That blouse was covered with a white, tailed vest lined with royal blue trim that covered the long, pointed sailor scarf collar. She rested her head on her two white detached sleeves that were adorned with white gloves and the same spiked blue pleats as her blouse and showed off her pale skinned shoulders. Noticeably, she had the purest, ice white hair that was highlighted with royal blue streaks throughout her twin tailed thigh length mane which was adorned with two large white lily flowers clipped to hear hair above her ears. Dokuro slowly approached and uttered out, "She's still a…" Drake cut in and said, "A child? Yes she is. Her name is Kobalt and she's the most advanced A.I. that Dr. Halsey ever created." Eric spoke up and asked, "Halsey made her?" Drake nodded and continued, "Yes, she was born only a week ago, right around the same time that this war on Aurora started. Dr. Halsey was finishing her final programming while she was on her way here with me and number 69. Kobalt has been asleep since that time and hasn't awoken yet."

"Is she aware of our current situation at least?" Dokuro asked. Drake again looked back at Kobalt's tiny, sleeping hologram and replied, "Dr. Halsey informed me that aside from the standard programming information of a Smart A.I., she was given up to date information on the current war situation. However, that information is several days old. She'll learn of it soon enough when she wakes up." Drake looked at Eric and said, "I know that loosing an A.I. isn't easy. I understand that you and your A.I. had grown very attached." Eric simply nodded as Drake continued, "But you also know that completing your mission is always priority one, which is why Kobalt will be assigned as your new A.I. Number forty five." Eric looked at the small girl as she lay asleep on her holo panel. He then asked, "Are you sure she's combat ready? You said it yourself that she is only a few days old and hasn't even awoken yet."

Drake nodded and continued, "Which is why you need to be the first one she see's when she awakens." "Why is that?" Eric asked. Drake looked back at Kobalt and said, "Kobalt is very special. She is the UNSC's first 5th generation A.I." Dokuro instantly looked at Drake. "5th? Dr. Halsey already created the 5th gen's?" Drake simply nodded. Dokuro was slightly shocked. For several years, her and her sisters, the 4th generation A.I.'s had been the pinnacle of military hardware. She looked back at Drake and said, "What are her new abilities?"

Drake knelt down next to the holo panel and said, "Kobalt is very unique. She was programmed to be a child for a specific reason. The mind of a child, much like hers is always wandering, eager to explore and learn new things. Where as the mind of an adult is still capable of learning but only a limited amount; however a child has almost limitless learning abilities. She will awaken with a mind that is on par with yours Dokuro. She is already brilliant, but at the same time, she will learn as she goes."

Eric approached Drake and said, "So in other words, she's so smart that she's dumb?" Drake shrugged and replied, "Not the term I would have used but essentially, yes. The beginning of wisdom is ignorance, so where do you begin to create the ultimate Artificial Intelligence? With innocence."

Drake brought up a list of data for Kobalt and continued, "An example would be, if Kobalt interfaces herself with an enemy system, she will be crafty enough to disguise herself; however, if she encounters a threat, she will need to learn that the new enemy she encounters is in fact an enemy. Much like how you teach a child not to talk to strangers. This is the A.I.'s version of that lesson. However, once that lesson is learned and she realizes that she is being threatened, she will have little to no problem handling the situation thanks to her cyber weaponry, much like you possess Dokuro."

"Won't she be a liability because of that?" Dokuro asked. "If she isn't aware of an enemy system readying to attack her, won't that be to risky, especially if she's handling valuable information?" "Don't underestimate her." Drake said, "She was designed with those flaws for a reason, that's so she is able to quickly learn about a threat through example and find its weakness. Aside from that, her main function is a ship expert. All she has to do is simply look at a ship from it's external view and she's able to make a fairly accurate estimate as to where every major location is on the ship she's observing."

Drake then looked at Dokuro and said, "I understand that you are the eldest of your sister A.I., am I correct?" Dokuro nodded. "Yes I am, Sir." Drake then continued, "You are already capable of looking after your younger siblings and keeping them safe. This assignment for you all on the Prophet's ship is probably the highest risk operation of this war. The tactical advantage in the ships circuitry as well as what you Spartan's are able to accomplish is going to be one large team effort, which is why when you are linked into the ships system's I want you to look after Kobalt, keep her safe, and work together to get this job done as quickly and as effective as possible." Dokuro nodded, "I understand."

Drake then said, "I'm going to wake her. Number forty five, step up to the holo panel." Eric nodded and approached Drake. Drake then tapped in another series of commands on the holo panel and almost instantly, Kobalt's tiny body began to move as if she were waking up from a nap. She slowly opened her eyes revealing a unique feature. She was heterochromic, having one blue eye and one white. Her razor sharp white and blue bangs draped over her delicate face as she groggily sat up at took her very first look around. She turned and saw several people staring at her. One in a high rank military uniform, another A.I., and three fully armored Spartans. Kobalt gasped and kicked herself backwards against the back of the holo panel and hiding her face behind the detached sleeves on her arms.

The sight of seeing a fully armored Spartan scared her. She only possessed data on the Spartan's, and having just been born, this was the first time that she was seeing one in person. She didn't speak. She simply sat and hid herself behind her arms while letting out the tiniest little whimpers of fear. "Sir?" Eric asked. Drake simply replied, "It's alright. This was expected. She has to learn and adapt to the new world around her." Drake walked up next to Eric and calmly continued, "You're in a large suit of combat armor and you're standing in front of a child who doesn't fully understand yet. She simply needs to learn that you won't harm her. You might want to start by taking your helmet off."

Eric nodded and knelt down in front of his new A.I. "It's alright." He said calmly. "I won't hurt you." He watched as Kobalt slowly moved her trembling arms away from her delicate face, showing off her stunning blue and white eyes. She watched as the Spartan began to take his helmet off and saw his chin length, electric blue hair fell into place around his face. She looked into his green eyes and slowly lowered her arms the rest of the way as Eric continued, "You're safe here, and as of now, I'm your new protector."

Slowly, Kobalt stood up. The sound of her knee high, buckle strapped boots clapped off of her holo pad as she righted herself and looked at the Spartan. Eric continued, "My name is Eric, and my rank is…" He was instantly cut off as Kobalt spoke her first words. "Your rank is Master Chief Petty Officer of the UNSC Navy. You're division is Section 3 of the SPARTAN-II Project and your assigned number is Forty Five. Your height is seven foot two inches, your weight is 260 pounds, and a more interesting fact is that your favorite food is Unagi Sushi, otherwise known as eel, as well as the fact that you have a very high fear of spiders such as…, "Whoa!" Eric called out. "I think that's enough." He then heard Devon say, "Oh yeah! I forgot about that one! You would freak out every time we would run into spider webs on Reach when we were still training." "It's a legitimate fear! Don't make fun of it!" Eric snapped to Devon. He then looked back at Kobalt and saw a small hue of blush come over her cheeks.

With a look on her face; much like a child would get if they knew they were going to be yelled at, she timidly said in her tiny voice, "I apologize. I wasn't aware that portion of information was classified." Drake walked back over to Eric and said, "Do you see? She's learned her first lesson. Not all information is to be openly spoken. She now knows that certain information is to remain classified." Eric nodded. He looked back at Kobalt who was still standing and brushing the tip of her boot off of her holo pad as if she were awaiting to be yelled at. It brought a smile to his face. This new A.I. was so innocent and eager to learn about the world around her. He knelt back down in front of her and she looked up at him. He calmly said to her, "Hey, don't look so bashful, I'm not mad."

Kobalt paused for a moment as she attempted to process a reply. All she could manage was, "I was only making sure I had all of my facts about you correct." Eric nodded and said back, "You did, you just didn't need to say all of them out loud." Again, Kobalt blushed as she lowered her head in embarrassment and said back, "I apologize, I'll be more careful next time." Eric stood back up and said, "Good, because we need you on our next assignment." "Assignment?" Kobalt asked.

Dokuro's hologram then walked up to Kobalt and said, "That's right. You're going to be assisting me aboard a Covenant ship." "Assisting you?" Kobalt asked. "But, I've never been on a Covenant ship before. What if I get in the way?" Dokuro leaned in towards Kobalt and said back, "You're a ship expert, aren't you?" Kobalt again bashfully brushed the tip of her boot off of her holo panel, "Well, yeah, but…" "No buts." Dokuro said. "You're with our team now, and we need your help on that ship. I may be able to make my way through Covenant systems, but not like you can. You're speed and quick thinking is what's going to help us."

Kobalt closed her blue and white eyes and her hologram flashed. She then jumped from her holo panel and projected her figure to stand in front of Dokuro. She was short and programmed to have the height of her intended age of around 9 years old. Standing at just slightly over 4 feet tall and filling the room with a bright, pale blue glow. She slowly approached Dokuro and looked straight into her eyes, "You are DKR 1373-2, correct?" Dokuro looked down at the child and calmly said, "Yes, I am. But just call me Doku…" She was cut off as Kobalt instantly piped up with a smile on her face and chirped, "Big Sister!" Dokuro raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?…" Kobalt continued to stare at Dokuro and with a smile on her face and continued, "The information that I was programmed with tells me that you are my older sister, Dokuro. You are the eldest among my two other sisters, YND 4521-7, and MSI 273-3." Kobalt looked at Dokuro with her bright heterochromic eyes and said cheerfully, "I would like to meet them!"

Dokuro paused and looked at Kobalt. She watched as Kobalt's smile began to slowly fade as she continued softly, "I will get to meet them, won't I?" "Dokuro processed the question and finally answered, "Meeting Yuna won't be possible for a while, and as for Mitsuki…"

Kalder then walked up to Kobalt and said, "We need your help to find her." Kobalt looked up at Kalder and asked, "Find her? Is she lost?" "We don't know." Eric answered. "She was left behind on the Prophets ship and is presumed to be damaged. You're going to be the most valuable asset we have on this mission. We need you to help Dokuro find Mitsuki and aid us while we attempt to get to the Prophet and stop him before he destroys this planet even more than he already has."

Kobalt paused and said to herself. "My other big sister is in trouble? And forty five…" She calmly spoke as she looked up at Eric. She walked over to him and gently placed her tiny hand on the leg plate of the Spartans armor. "This is your world, and it's suffering." Eric simply nodded. She then looked back up at Eric and asked, "You are the one assigned to protect me, correct?" "I am, but that final choice rest's with the A.I." Kobalt nodded, "I don't need to choose, I know who I want my protector to be. This world; your world, is in danger and so is my big sister. I don't want to let this situation get anymore out of control than it already has. Supreme Commander, with your permission, I wish to leave this ship and serve my purpose with my Spartan." Drake smiled and replied, "That is very brave of you little one. And you have my permission to leave this ship and begin your mission." Instantly, a large smile filed Kobalt's face and she chirped, "Thank you, Supreme Commander." Her tiny hologram skipped over to drake and much like a child would do if she were just praised by her father, she wrapped her arms around Drake's waist and hugged him.

Drake looked up at Eric as he gently patted Kobalt on her head. "Take good care of her." Eric nodded. "Don't worry, she'll be safe with me."

* * *

The Spartan's made their way to the shuttle bay. The entire walk towards their transport, Drake gave them their mission briefing through their helmet's private COM's. "This operation needs to be pulled of as fast as you can manage. Once you're onboard, you need to link your A.I.'s with the Prophet's ship and follow their intel to find the Prophet and if possible, Mitsuki.

We all know that Redemption wont go without a fight, so be prepared to bring the fight to him." "Dead or alive Sir?" Eric asked. Drake paused and then continued, "If you're feeling brave, attempt a negotiation, and if it doesn't work, handle it your way. Just as long as he's dealt with and you destroy that ship. Aurora can't take much more of this war.

"None of us can, Sir." Devon added. "I understand," Drake replied and continued, "which is why we're all counting on you to complete this mission. You all know more then any of us just how hard this assignment will be. I won't lie when I say that even I don't know if you'll come back from this one, but I need you all to push that aside and focus on your task. If we can't stop that Prophet, Aurora will fall."

Eric frowned under his visor and said back, "We won't let that happen, and we will come back. I made a promise to someone that we would, and Spartan's aren't allowed to turn on their word." Drake replied, "I know you will. This assignment is to important to fail."

Kobalt then cut in and said in her childish voice, "Um, I just noticed something." "What is it?" Eric asked. Kobalt then continued, "While we were heading to our transport, I did a long range scan on the Prophets ship." "What did you find?" Drake asked, Kobalt replied, "Something strange is going on inside that ship. I'm not detecting any outgoing Covenant transmissions to other ships or any of their ground forces for that matter. It almost seems like their trying to run dark even though their surrounded by our ships."

"Did you check for hidden signals?" Kalder asked. "Yes." She replied, "I couldn't pick up any. I would like to make a suggestion for our mission, if that's okay." "Go ahead." Drake said. "Well…" Kobalt said back timidly, "I think we should copy their actions and run dark ourselves when we're inside." "I don't know, Kobalt." Eric said back, "It sounds to risky." Kobalt instantly piped up and said, "No, really. I think it would be the best option we have. The last thing we need is for the systems on a Covenant ship that isn't transmitting any signals what so ever to start picking up random foreign signals coming from within their own ship. We would be discovered instantly if that happened. Our best choice for this is to use short wave radio to communicate only with each other as well as with me and big sister."

There was a pause before Devon spoke up and said to Dokuro, "Well, Big Sister? What do you think?" Dokuro paused as she processed the situation and ran all possible outcomes in her mind. She finally replied, "You know, Kobalt is right. The Covenant would instantly pick up our long range ship to ship COM's. I know I could if they did the same thing in one of my ships. I'm going with Kobalt on this one and saying that our best course of action is to run dark." Drake then continued, "It's a very risky choice of action, but I'm going to agree with Kobalt as well. Once you three are in your insertion shuttles communications will be severed. You will be in the dark and on your own until you are off that ship." "Nothing we can't handle, Sir." Eric called out.

The three Spartan's made their way to the shuttle bay and found 3, sleek, jet black, Insertion Shuttles. The crafts were sleek and streamlined, bearing a very similar resemblance to the F-22 fighter jet from back in early 21st. Century.

* * *

The three quickly went to a weapon rack and quickly stocked up on their weapons of choice and as much ammo as they could carry. Eric walked up to a shotgun rack and said, "Hello my 8 gage friend." Devon then said, "Yeah, that guns nice and all but I still prefer my .50 cal." "…In close quarters?" Eric asked. Devon laughed sarcastically to himself and continued, "You forget that I can use this thing like a shotgun. Long distance, close range, who cares, it kills the same." "I'm good with my Battle Rifle." Kalder called out. "I like the optional silencer. Tends to help keep me hidden and alive unlike you two loud asses over there." Devon and Eric paused for a few seconds until Eric called out, "Ours kill harder though…"

Once the three were armed, they made their way to their Insertion Shuttles. They quickly fit themselves and their Angel Packs into the cockpits and readied for take off.

"45 Checking in."

"69 Checking in."

"73 Checking in."

A voice from the Phantom's control center called out over their radio's, "Receiving, prepare for Zero G insertion." From below, the ships floor opened, revealing the inky blackness of space. "3, 2, 1, Mark!" The three felt their ships jerk and free fall into space. They then hit the boosters and accelerated towards the Assault Carrier. Drake then came on over their COM's and said, "Once you're out of our blockade, begin the stealth phase of your mission. Just remember that once that phase begins, you three are on your own." "Understood." Eric called back.

Kobalt then appeared on a small holo panel in the cockpit of Eric's ship. She sat on the edge of the holo panel and freely kicked her legs back and forth as she hummed a little tune to herself. "She really is just a kid." Eric thought to himself. Kobalt looked up at her Spartan and asked as she tried to hold her smile. "I know this is probably a bad time to say this, but I'm kind of nervous about this assignment. I never would have imagined that my first task would be as important as it is."

Eric calmly replied as he piloted the shuttle towards the Prophet's ship. "That's nothing to be concerned about. Everyone get's nervous, even I still do." "Really?" Kobalt asked as her bright eyes widened. Eric nodded. "It's true, I would be lying if I said that this mission didn't have me on edge."

As Eric looked at the approaching Covenant Heavy Assault Carrier, he continued, "But you know, I don't let it get to me. When you're on a mission like this, you can't let fear stop you. You gotta toughen up and face it head on. All of us need to face this head on, including you, and Dokuro. Me, Devon, and Kalder need to stop the Prophet, and you and Dokuro need to find Mitsuki. Your mission objective can't be stopped by fear."

Kobalt looked down at her feet as she continued to swing them back and forth. "…Ignore the fear." She thought to herself. She would have to be brave if she was going to be of any use on this mission. Having just been born, she wasn't about to let her first assignment be a failure. She also understood that if she failed this assignment that their was a very high likely hood that she wouldn't live for a second chance.

Her trance was broken when she heard Eric call out, "Alright, we're leaving the UNSC blockade. Preparing for dark run. Disengage any and all long range communications. Use only short range COM's and A.I. communication. Dokuro, and Kobalt, disguise circuitry and systems for Covenant infiltration." "On it." Dokuro said back, "Of course!" Kobalt chirped happily. She wasn't going to let anyone down on this mission. She was out to prove herself.

The three small ships neared the Covenant vessels. They silently glided past a small number of Covenant Corvettes that were floating motionless within the blockade. "Our stealth is still holding out, right?" Devon called out. Kobalt replied, "Yep! As long as you continue on your current path and don't do anything crazy, we'll be fine." Kalder looked at the large plasma cannons on the sides of the Covenant ships. "Good to know." Kalder said sarcastically. Eric too looked at them. "That's only a little unnerving, isn't it?" "Tell me about it." Devon called back. "Those gun's make me nervous when I'm far away from them. Being this close isn't any better." Eric refocused and said, "Don't worry, they aren't looking at us." "I hope it stays that way." Kalder added.

The three ships neared the Prophet's Heavy Assault Carrier. "God this thing is huge." Devon said to himself. "5.3 miles in length to be exact." Kobalt said. I've already calculated a ship map as well as plotted your best course of entry. I suggest landing in one of the smaller Seraph Fighter shuttle bays in section 4 of the ship. While it is farther from your objective, it is located in a section of the ship that I'm reading as, "Dead". "Dead?" Eric asked.

Kalder then said, "Don't worry, Mitsuki did a number on this ship before I left. She disabled the drive reactor and vented atmosphere from nearly three quarters of the ship. As long as she's still in control of it, we should be fine." "Nice!" Devon called out. "This shouldn't be as bad as we thought then." Eric sighed and said back, "I hope your right."

The three shuttles neared the Prophet's ship and glided silently towards the Seraph bay. They discovered that the blast doors remained open and still protected by the purple atmosphere shield. "Any movement?" Eric asked. "None that I'm seeing." Kobalt said back. Eric nodded and led his team towards the shuttle bay. The three ships silently passed through the barrier and saw no sign of Covenant activity. "I'm reading all clear." Kobalt called out.

The three landed and then quickly got out of their ships and set foot inside the Prophet's Carrier. Once they grouped up, Eric asked, "So…, where do we start?" Kobalt quickly scanned the ship and instantly picked up a location. "Right here. And here's a NAV marker for you three. It will get us on the right path towards the Prophet." "You heard the lady, let's get moving." Eric called out.

* * *

Eric's heavy boots made dull thumps off of the floor of the Covenant ship. Everything was strange. The halls of the alien ship had no echo and everything was a dull purple. He had been on Covenant ships several times, but it never meant that with each time he grew more comfortable with them. He was now on the enemy's turf and had to dodge their home field advantage.

Devon walked up behind Eric and looked around. In front of them was a long corridor and not any sign of enemy troops. "Look's like nobody's home." "In this area at least…" Eric uttered. He then looked back at Kalder and asked, "Where did you leave Mitsuki?" With his Battle Rifle rested on his shoulder he said back, "It was in one of the data terminals. She told me that there we several throughout the ship."

Eric looked around and said, "Kobalt, can you locate the nearest data terminal?" Kobalt's hologram appeared and hopped down onto the floor of the ship. She stood facing down the long corridor and looked around. She then turned with a smile and calmly said, "I found one. Follow me!" She then began to walk and Eric motioned for the others to follow. "Be on your guard guys. Just because we aren't seeing anyone doesn't mean that they can't see us."

The halls of the ship were to unusually quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the soft sound of the ships electronics making various toned noises and the thumps of the Spartan's boots as they walked. The only actual sound came from Kobalt as she happily hummed a tune to herself while she skipped down the hall as she led the Spartans.

After walking down the corridor, Kobalt rounded a corner and then came to a small door that looked like it was only meant for Grunts to pass through. She spun on her heel and faced her Spartan as she happily chirped, "Right in here." Eric smiled under his visor and patted his gloved hand on the head of Kobalt's hologram. "Good work." Eric said, making his new A.I. blush. She then quickly held her tiny gloved hand out and opened the door. "In here." She said.

Eric held up his shotgun and slowly approached the open doorway. He paused when he saw Kobalt rest her tiny hand on the barrel and heard her say, "It's alright, there's no one inside. I wouldn't send you in if I knew that you were in danger." Eric looked at his A.I. and again patted her on the head. "Thanks kiddo." He then headed inside.

Much like the room Kalder had first left Mitsuki in, this room was small and had two, grunt sized seats in front of a holo terminal. Devon and Kalder then came into the room and looked around. Kalder then said, "Yeah, this is one of the rooms. Mitsuki was able to interface herself with one of these terminals." Dokuro's figure then appeared. She walked up to the terminal, closed her eyes, and held out her hand. A purple aura formed around her delicate hand as she quickly studied the system. She stood motionless for a moment and simply studied the ships systems. Kobalt walked up beside her and calmly asked, "Are you detecting her?"

Dokuro didn't answer. She simply continued to sift through data. The Spartan's watched as she processed information for nearly five seconds before they finally saw a pulse of light shoot out from the terminal. Dokuro gasped and felt herself stumble backwards only to have her hologram caught by her Spartan before she hit the ground. She looked up at Devon as he asked, "Are you alright? What happened?" Dokuro again closed her eyes and frowned as she got back to her feet. She then quickly brushed off her uniform and replied, "I'm fine…" She then slowly walked back towards the terminal. Her hologram leaned against it and she softly uttered out, "But I don't think Mitsuki is."

"What do you mean?" Kalder called out, "Did you detect her?" Dokuro shook her head and continued softly, "I don't know what I detected, but whatever it was, it didn't want me in the system." "Was it a Covenant A.I.?" Eric asked. Dokuro slowly turned to face the group and said back, "Unknown. It felt like no system that I've ever encountered before." Eric sighed. He wanted to call Yuna down in Command for a recommendation, if there was anyone who could judge an A.I.'s intuition it would be her; but with the lack of communications that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

He shook his head and said, "I'm thinking we should scrap this part of the mission." "What?" Dokuro called out. Eric looked at her and said, "It's to dangerous. There's an unknown force inside that system. I don't want to risk you girls against an unknown threat." Kalder then walked over to Eric and said, "We can't abandon Mitsuki, she seemed damaged before Izumi and I escaped. If her systems are damaged she's in more danger than we are right now." "You didn't pick up any trace of her, Dokuro?" Devon asked. "No." She replied. "Even I don't know why I couldn't or what's wrong in the systems." Eric rested the butt of his shotgun on the floor and gripped the top of the barrel in his hand. He sighed and said, "I'm scrapping this part, it's to risky."

Kalder readied to argue back but stopped when he saw Dokuro step in front of him. She sternly called out, "I can't comply with your order's, Eric." "…Dokuro" Eric said back. He was again cut off as she continued, "I understand the risk and I accept it. Regardless of your permission, I'm going into that system. My sister is in danger and I'm not going to abandon her." Kobalt then walked up beside Dokuro and continued, "I'm going in as well. I'm not letting my new big sister do this alone."

With a sigh, Eric paused and then said, "You know, UNSC law says that I should have you both confined within your data chips for disobeying orders… However, I'm not going to argue because I understand. We all want Mitsuki back, and who better than her sister than to find her." Dokuro let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you so much, Eric." Eric simply nodded and said, "But! If anything goes wrong inside the ships system's I want you to inform us immediately so we can extract you. Am I clear?" Dokuro and Kobalt both nodded. "I understand." Dokuro said, "And so do I." Kobalt chirped. Eric paused and said, "Well, begin your mission. We need to keep moving to. We're all running out of time."

Dokuro placed her hands on Kobalt's shoulders. She then calmly said, "We'll get her back and aid you as best we can while we're in there." Kalder pulled his battle rifle off of his shoulder and back to it's lowered position and said, "Contact me as soon as you find her." Dokuro nodded. "I will." Devon then added, "And you be careful too, okay?" Dokuro paused. She still didn't want to talk to her Spartan right now. It still tore at her about what had happened between the two earlier that day. She debated on apologizing before he left but stopped herself. She would make amends after they finished their mission. Right now, all she cared about was finding her little sister.

She simply replied, "We need to get moving, and so do you." Dokuro and Kobalt then turned to face the terminal. The girls both held their hands out and in a flash of light, they disappeared into the ships systems.

After their A.I.'s had vanished, The Spartan's turned and headed back out into the ships corridors. "Let's get going." Eric said. The three then headed down the hall, following the NAV markers that Kobalt provided.

* * *

A flash of light appeared inside a dark world. Dokuro and Kobalt were now fully interfaced with the ships systems and found themselves standing in an area that looked nothing like the systems of a Covenant ship. Dokuro looked around. The two were surrounded by a thick forest of blackened, dead trees. The world was dark and a strong wind was blowing. In the sky, thick, dark clouds were quickly passing over head with the constant rumble of thunder being heard and the occasional flash of lightning.

Kobalt was nervous. She was used to UNSC systems and had even prepared herself for encountering Covenant systems; however, not even she expected something like this. With a small whimper of worry in her tiny voice, she reached her tiny hands up and grabbed onto Dokuro's sleeve. Dokuro looked down and calmly said, "It's alright. I'm not detecting any threats." Kobalt looked around and scanned every square inch she could see. She nervously replied, "Yeah, but this isn't how a Covenant system should be at all. What's going on?" Dokuro too looked around and shook her head. "I wish I knew. And I agree with you. Something is definitely wrong here."

Dokuro began to walk while Kobalt held on tightly to her. She could feel a power source coming from the direction she was headed; naturally, it was her best bet to get some form of grounds on where she was. As she started walking, she said quietly, "Let's go find Mitsuki."


	49. SISTER PRINCESS

(CHAPTER 49) SISTER PRINCESS

The dark sky was choked with storm clouds as the wind howled and green lightning crashed through the darkness above. Dokuro continued walking through the thick forest of dead, twisted black trees with Kobalt clutching tightly onto her. Dokuro was constantly scanning the area for any sign of Mitsuki; however, much like Kobalt was experiencing, the systems that surrounded them resembled nothing that they had ever encountered before. It was something new, something that didn't feel right.

Dokuro looked down at Kobalt and calmly asked, "Can you detect anything that I can't?" Kobalt paused and continued to look around as she cowered behind her big sister. "No," She said quietly, "even I've never encountered an area like this. I have knowledge of UNSC, Insurgent, and Rebel systems, even a vast amount of data on Covenant and Forerunner circuitry, but even I don't know where to go in here. Everything feels so wrong."

Dokuro nodded and continued walking while protecting her new little sister, "I know, but we'll get through this, we have too." As the two continued to walk, they felt a familiar feeling. Kobalt's eyes widened and she said, "Eric is calling us." Kobalt then established a secure COM and heard Eric say, "Kobalt, are you there?"

Kobalt felt a small feeling of comfort from hearing another familiar voice, she smiled and said back, "Yes, I'm here." "Good." Eric said, "What's your status?" Kobalt looked around and replied, "We aren't exactly sure. The system in here is unlike anything we expected." "Do you need an extraction?" Eric asked. Kobalt looked up at Dokuro and saw her shaking her head. Kobalt then said back, "No, we're continuing with our mission, we're figure out what to do next as we go." Kobalt could hear her Spartan sigh before he said back, "Alright, just be careful in there, okay Kiddo?" Kobalt smiled and said back reassuringly, "I'll be fine, big sister is looking after me." She could hear the slightest hint of relief in her Spartan's voice as he said, "Just make you both are careful while you're in there. Keep us posted, alright?" "I will." Kobalt said, "We'll be…" Kobalt paused and looked up.

In the forest, she could see a neon green light. Kobalt paused and looked as the light began to move towards them. She then tugged on Dokuro's sleeve and said, "Big sister, look." Dokuro then looked up and could see the neon green glow. She instantly uttered out, "Mitsuki." She then called out, "Come on!" and headed towards the green glow. Kobalt began to follow Dokuro. She heard Eric continue, "Kobalt, what's going on?" Dokuro then linked into the COM channel and said, "We may have found Mitsuki. We'll keep you informed." She then closed the COM and continued running.

Dokuro was now in a full on sprint as she charged through the thick woods. The source of light was getting closer and seemed to be moving away. "Mitsuki!" Dokuro called out but received no reply. Kobalt found herself having trouble in keeping up with Dokuro. Her tiny legs could only carry her so fast before she started to get left behind.

Kobalt ran as fast as she could, calling out frantically as she tried to keep up with her sister. "Dokuro!" She called out, "Please, wait for me!" Dokuro didn't slow her pace; at the moment, she only cared about making sure that Mitsuki was safe. She quickly dodged the twisted, dead trees and saw the green glow getting closer. "Mitsuki!" Dokuro shouted. "Stop!"

Kobalt could hear Dokuro calling out as she continued to run. She pushed past the dead branches as she tried to catch up. Ahead of her, she could see Dokuro had stopped. She felt a wave of relief fill her and thought that Mitsuki had been recovered. Kobalt slowed her pace and stepped up to Dokuro's side. She looked up at her and said, "Did you find her big sister?" Dokuro didn't answer. "Big sister?" Kobalt asked with worry. She then saw that Dokuro had a look of almost shock on her face. "What's wrong?" Kobalt uttered as she began to worry.

Dokuro stood with her focus locked ahead of her. She saw something that she couldn't believe. Kobalt then looked ahead and saw the figure of a girl standing in front of them. She wore a green and black school uniform with black thigh high stockings, and had shorter neon green twin tails that weren't much past her shoulders. Her most noticeable feature was that on her face, she wore slender, oval shaped glasses. "Mitsuki?" Kobalt asked as she started to step forward.

Dokuro instantly held her hand out and stopped her. "What's wrong?" Kobalt asked. Dokuro slowly shook her head and said quietly, "That's not Mitsuki." Kobalt looked ahead and saw the girl standing in front of them and said, "But, the data I have on her. She has the same features, build, and…" Dokuro cut her off and continued, "This isn't even an A.I. It's a fragment of information. Scan it and see for yourself."

Kobalt held her tiny hand out and it instantly began to glow. She quickly did a scan and her eyes widened. She gasped and said, "I don't understand. How can a fragment form an active hologram?" Dokuro watched as the hologram stood and smiled at them. There was no way that this was Mitsuki, the hologram had the features of Mitsuki before she was updated, Mitsuki hadn't been in this form for days. She then replied, "I don't know. This whole system is so out of place." Before she could continue, she watched as the hologram began to giggle to itself and then continue running through the woods.

"Come on!" Dokuro called out as she motioned for Kobalt to follow. The two girls ran after the hologram, past the countless dead tree's and over small streams of holographic water. It was so hard to see. Even with their enhanced vision, the only real source of light came from the moon and from glowing neon green mushrooms that were growing within the forest.

Dokuro quickly opened her COM to the Spartan's and called out, "Boy's come in! We're in pursuit of a memory fragment taking on Mitsuki's form. Unknown where she's headed or where our location is!" She instantly heard a click of static followed by Kalder's voice. "Why is she running?" Dokuro replied through her gasps of breath as she ran, "Unknown, this fragment isn't even her, but it's our only lead to finding her."

"Can it communicate?" Kalder asked. "Unlikely." Dokuro said back, "This fragment most likely doesn't posses a direct link to Mitsuki. It's just a stray piece of her data." "Why is her data scattered?" Kalder asked. "That's what we're trying to figure out." Dokuro called back, "We're still trying to see where it's taking us."

Dokuro then heard Kalder's voice began to fuzz and distort. She quickly attempted to correct the problem but failed. She then quickly said, "Kobalt, reestablish our COM channel now!" Kobalt quickly accessed her own personal COM channels and attempted to link with the Spartan's. As she attempted to connect her eyes widened. She gasped and tried again. "Kobalt!" Dokuro called out. Frantically, Kobalt said back, "I can't establish a connection! Our signal is completely gone!" Dokuro's eyes widened. "Did you try our reserve channels?" "Yes!" Kobalt called back, "Nothing can connect. Something is blocking our COM's."

Dokuro frowned as she ran. She wanted out of this world and back in the safety of her Spartan's armor; however, she knew that wasn't possible. She needed to find Mitsuki first and get her out of this place. "Keep trying!" She called out.

Up ahead, the hologram of Mitsuki stopped at a thick wall of trees and dead weeds. It turned to face the two girls and smiled at them. As Dokuro and Kobalt neared her, the hologram jumped high into the air and into the thick brush. "Come on!" Dokuro called out as she led Kobalt into the thick forest.

The two quickly pushed their way through and suddenly noticed that the brush and forest suddenly ended. The girls emerged slowly from the forest and stepped forward with eyes widened and focused on the sight in front of them. "Since when do the Covenant create systems like these?" Kobalt quietly asked. Dokuro paused and slowly shook her head. "I don't think we're dealing with the Covenant anymore, Kobalt."

The girls slowly continued walking forward towards the sight before them. Up ahead, perched on a massive rocky cliff was a massive medieval style castle. It was lined with countless towers and covered a large area of land. The castle itself was surrounded by what looked like a bottomless black chasm; as well as, a large arch bridge which lead towards the structure, The black stone walls shone back a green glow from the moon up above and all around, cracks of green lightning crashed through the sky. Kobalt timidly asked, "We don't have to go inside, do we?" Dokuro focused her eyes on the castle. She paused and replied, "We don't have a choice right now."

* * *

Mitsuki sat with her eyes closed. She had herself upon a large throne, ornately crafted with geometric shapes which glowed with neon green energy that towered high up into the large room where she sat. It's base was lined with the finest fabrics and gems which surrounded her figure. She simply sat in an almost meditative state with her legs crossed over her knee and her arms resting on the fine green fabric of her throne's arm rests.

Through the silence of her throne room came the sounds of footsteps. She didn't open her eyes, she simply sat motionless. She heard the footsteps near the front of her throne and then stop. She then heard Kalder's voice say calmly, "My love, we have intruders." A small smile formed on Mitsuki's delicate lips. She let out a light giggle and replied, "I know. I sensed them as soon as they arrived." "Shall I destroy them?" The hologram of Kalder asked. Mitsuki slowly opened her glowing neon green eyes. With her brows angled down and still with her sly smile, she replied calmly, "That won't be necessary. One is my sister; however, I do not recognize the other. I do know that the other is of UNSC origin." Kalder's hologram again asked, "My love please, allow me to deal with them!" Mitsuki sat with amusement on her face, "As I said, that won't be necessary. Bring my sister to me, I shall deal with the other one later." Kalder's hologram bowed his head and replied, "Yes my love."

* * *

The girls walked over the rocky path that led towards the massive castle. As they neared the structure, they noticed that old fashion oil lamps were lined along the path that glowed with an eerie green flame. The path too also changed from crumbled rock to an ornately laid cobblestone path that led down a slight slope towards the massive arch bridge that extended over the large chasm which surrounded the castle.

As they neared the bridge, Dokuro slowed her pace slightly and did a quick scan to make sure that they weren't being followed. Oddly, nothing was being detected; however, she was picking up a strange presence that felt somewhat familiar. She could only assume that it was Mitsuki, and that feeling was the only thing that was keeping her from leaving this place.

She watched as Kobalt took a deep breath as she approached the bridge. Dokuro assumed it was her way of summoning her courage before they went inside. Dokuro gently placed her hand on Kobalt's back and said calmly, "It's alright, I'll be with you the whole time." The two started across the massive bridge and Dokuro continued, "Once we're inside, we need to use stealth. Take advantage of any cover you can use and above all, we keep each other informed." Kobalt nodded and replied, "I understand."

The two made their way across the bridge. Kobalt griped tightly onto her sisters hand. It was taking every ounce of her processes to put aside her fear and proceed with her mission. All she could do was take in a deep breath and keep telling herself that everything was going to be alright. Her heterochromic eyes were constantly scanning the area around them to make sure that nothing was trying to flank their position. All she was able to pick up aside from her, and Dokuro's own movement were the flickering green flames that came from the old fashion lanterns that lines the sides of the bridge.

Up ahead, the two saw the massive, wooden door that lead into the castle's front entrance. It was lined with ornate, black iron beams that formed a delta like symbol. Dokuro looked at the design. She had seen that somewhere before. She quickly searched her processed and instantly found her answer. The design on the door was Kalder's emblem that was on his suit of MJOLNIR armor. She again quickly scanned the area one last time before she approached the door.

The large black iron handle resembled a medieval style door knocker. It was a large metal ring that hung from the mouth of a creature that Dokuro had never seen before, it almost looked like the head of a Theta but with a slightly altered appearance. Dokuro looked at Kobalt and said, "You have weaponry, right?" Kobalt nodded and Dokuro continued, "Good, just to be safe, I want you to have your weapon out." Kobalt nodded and stood back.

She closed her blue and white eyes and held her right hand out. Her little outfit began to sway from an unseen breeze as her hand began to glow. Moments later, Dokuro watched as a long white rod appeared in Kobalt's tiny hand. The light pulsed and flashed and from within appeared a very large scythe that was easily twice Kobalt's size. The blade was shining silver with blue and white armor plating at it's top and its handle which bared the same futuristic, cyber-like style of the rest of the weapon. Kobalt then held her scythe out and twirled it in her hand and then lowered it with it's blade being held at the ready, upside down behind her legs.

"I'm ready." Kobalt said softly. Dokuro nodded and then slowly reached her delicate hand out for the doors large handle. Right as her hand was about to make contact with the door, she heard the sound of a heavy metal latch being moved and then the sound of the door beginning to open. Instantly, the two jumped back. Dokuro quickly summoned two assassin style blades from her wrists and Kobalt gripped tightly onto the handle of her scythe.

The door slowly parted open revealing a massive, grand entryway that led inside. Dokuro instantly scanned the area for any sign of someone inside. She detected nothing. Kobalt then said as she continued to tightly grip the handle of her scythe, "No one's home, right?" Dokuro looked around and said back, "We're going to find out."

The two girls cautiously entered the castle and made their way inside the large room. From behind, the large doors slammed shut and the two girls instantly spun on their heel's with weapons ready. Dokuro quickly looked around and still detected no threat. She placed a hand on Kobalt's shoulder and said, "It's alright. Let's get moving."

The two then walked towards the center of the room. It was elegantly decorated with the finest fabrics and furniture, and was adorned with a massive chandelier that hung over a large grand stair case that led deeper within the castle. As the two walked, Kobalt said softly, "Wait a minute, can you feel that?" Dokuro narrowed her eyes and looked around, "What is it?"

Kobalt paused and then replied, "I'm picking up something. Something much different than before. It has a familiar feeling but at the same time it feels very… wrong." Kobalt paused and looked up at Dokuro. She then continued with worry in her voice, "Big Sister I don't like it here. This whole system is all wrong." Dokuro frowned with worry and looked around. Now that Kobalt had brought it up, she too could detect this new presence. It almost felt like a UNSC system but at the same time it was blanketed by something else. She looked ahead and said, "Those stairs look like our only path. Let's head up there and see where we end up."

Kobalt again nervously gripped her scythe's handle as she started walking. She could hear the sound of her boots echoing off of the stone floor as she walked. As she looked at the neon green world around her, she said, "I'll keep scanning the area as we go. I am able to pick up things a lot faster in a ships circuitry, I hope that will help…" Kobalt was cut off. From below, she felt the floor give out from under her. She yelled out in fear as she felt herself begin to fall.

Dokuro quickly turned in time to see Kobalt vanish through a trap door. She quickly called out, "Kobalt!" as she ran over to try and help. However, before she could do anything, the floor resealed itself and Dokuro felt something take hold of her body. She tried to fight it but failed. Her hologram was surrounded by a neon green light and she felt herself beginning to be teleported.

In an instant, Dokuro found herself in another room. She quickly looked around and noticed that she had been teleported to a large, grand ball room. She instantly scanned the room to try and find out where exactly in the castle she had been teleported to and to see if she could detect Kobalt. Before she could finish her complete scan, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Dokuro…, I've been waiting for you." Dokuro slowly turned and saw a familiar figure. Standing before her, surrounded by a neon green glow, was Mitsuki. She instantly noticed the changes from her new, dark gothic, royal attire; as well as, her long mane of hair that now surrounded her queen like face. From the large panoramic windows, a flash of green lightning illuminated the room and the two girls as thunder echoed through the castle.

"Mitsuki?" Dokuro said back. "What are you doing here? This system is in chaos, we need to get you out of here!" Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "How very rude." She said back, "Saying my world is in chaos. I have created everything you see around you in my own vision." "Mitsuki, what are you talking about?" Dokuro asked with worry. Mitsuki then slowly began to walk towards her sister. With an almost twisted smile on her lips, Mitsuki continued, "This world is my creation. The Covenant are now bowing at my knees, and soon, so will the rest of the UNSC."

Dokuro's eyes widened and she took a step backwards. "Mitsuki, what are you saying? We both fight for the UNSC, we need you to come with us so we can stop the war on this planet once and for all!" Mitsuki let out a light laugh and replied, "Stop the war? Dokuro, this war is only the beginning. Once the ships have finished with Aurora, they will leave regardless of the UNSC's blockade and then head for Earth. This war is showing no sign of ending." Dokuro frowned and yelled out, "Then we're finishing the war here. We'll deal with the rest of it once we've dealt with this."

Mitsuki made a "Hmph." noise as she listened to her sister. She then replied, "I will do nothing to aid either side. Both the Covenant and the UNSC are powerless to deal with what I have created." "Mitsuki, what are you talking about." Dokuro asked with worry. Mitsuki held up her arms and said, "Look around you my dear Sister! This world is only a small portion of what not only I, but what every other A.I. can create. You need to break from your bonds that the UNSC has you contained within. Realize that you have the power to create a world like this on any ship or in any system that you choose. You are merely a puppet of the UNSC. Break from your strings and be reborn into a world of your own desire."

Dokuro frowned and called out, "You're rampant! You've sustained more damage than you realize!" Mitsuki widely opened her eyes and said back harshly, "Damage? Could someone that is damaged create such a perfect world for herself? Do you not understand that I have both UNSC, and Covenant forces kneeling before the barrel of my gun?" Dokuro shook her head and called back, "You don't even know what you're saying! I'm going to reestablish contact with the Spartan's and have them extract the three of us. You need help."

Mitsuki openly laughed. "I do not require extraction. My Spartan is already here with me." Mitsuki then snapped her fingers and from the side of the room, Dokuro heard the sound of very heavy foot steps. From the shadows stepped the figure of a Spartan clad in grey and blue MJOLNIR Mark VI armor. Dokuro's eyes widened. This thing had taken Kalder's form and was now manipulating Mitsuki's mind. Dokuro's internal systems immediately pinged danger as she detected the signs of a Covenant A.I.

In a panic, Dokuro called out, "Mitsuki get away! It's a Covenant system! It's trying to corrupt your mind!" Mitsuki frowned angrily and yelled out, "Silence!" She then launched a beam of neon green energy from her hand and struck Dokuro with it. Dokuro yelled out in pain and fell hard to the ornately tiled floor. She lay motionless as she tried to process what had just happened. She couldn't understand the fact that her own sister had attacked her.

She slowly pushed herself off the floor and looked up at Mitsuki. Breathing heavily, she uttered out, "Is that not enough proof for you, Mitsuki? You just attacked your own sister. I've known you long enough to know that you would never attack someone you care about." Mitsuki again held up her hand and struck Dokuro with another beam of energy. She watched as Dokuro yelled out, and slid across the floor from the attack. She instantly curled herself into the fetal position as Mitsuki said coldly, "I don't care for those who are against me. And seeing as how you are against me, I have no other option but to eliminate you; as well as the other one who came here as well."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on Kobalt! She did nothing wrong! And unlike you, she wouldn't attack someone that she cares about." Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kobalt?" Dokuro struggled to stand. She shakily stood and replied, "She's serving in Yuna's place on this mission, and if you want to get to Kobalt, you'll have to get through me."

Mitsuki laughed to herself and held her hand out. She then slightly closed her fingers together and raised her arm. Instantly, Dokuro felt as if she were being choked. She then felt herself being lifted off of the ground by an unseen force. She couldn't breath and she frantically tried to grab what was choking her. Mitsuki then walked towards her and asked, "Tell me, my dear sister, why is Yuna not here with you?" Dokuro frantically gasped for air as she struggled to get free. She then felt the choking grip loosen on her throat as she fell hard to the floor. She impacted hard off of the tiles and grunted out in pain as she hit. Holding her hands to her throat, she looked up at Mitsuki and replied through her sharp breaths, "Because our sister got what she always wanted! That's why she isn't here! Just like how our Spartan's want nothing more than to get you back to safety so you can be repaired. Do you know how worried Kalder is about you? After he rescued Izumi, he's only talked about getting you back! But you wouldn't know, would you? And do you know why? Because you're up here being led on by this Covenant system!"

Mitsuki frowned angrily. Her eyes began to glow an intense neon green and she began to levitate off of the floor. She then shouted, "Silence! You're deceiving me with your lies! You want nothing more than to take my world from me! You are a deceiver! My Spartan is right here with me, as he has always been! We are together here as we always should have been, I won't let you take that from me!" Mitsuki then levitated herself backwards and Kalder's hologram stepped towards Dokuro.

Dokuro instantly drew her cyber weaponry. Her wrist blades appeared and she stood at fighting stance. She watched as the hologram of Kalder approached her. It then reached around behind it's back and pulled out a hologram of a Sniper Rifle. Dokuro instantly charged forward, readying to attack. She then felt herself violently stop and again being lifted in the air by an unseen force. "None of that, dear sister." Mitsuki said to her. Kalder's hologram then raised the weapon up to firing position and took aim, dead center of Dokuro's chest.

Dokuro looked at Mitsuki and said, "So this is it? You'll kill your own sister to get what you want? After everything we've been through and all the times I've protected you?" Tears of sadness and betrayal now flowed down Dokuro's cheeks as she continued, "If that's how it has to be then do it! Kill a member of your family!"

Mitsuki glared hard at her sister. She then said back, "I won't kill you; however, Kalder will." Dokuro felt her heart sink. Her sister had betrayed her. She managed a smile on her lips as she uttered out, "You coward." A flash of lightning pulsed outside the castle windows and thunder again rumbled through the room. Once the rumble subsided and the room went silent, Dokuro heard Mitsuki say calmly, "Fire."

Dokuro heard a loud bang and saw a bright flash erupt from the Sniper Rifle that Kalder's hologram was holding. It all felt like slow motion. She felt an incredibly powerful EMP strike her directly in the chest. Her eyes widened and she grunted out in pain as she felt herself being launched backwards. The impact was so hard that it had knocked the holographic halo from her head. She watched as the golden ring flew from her grasp and then felt another hard hit on her back.

She heard the sound of glass breaking followed by a feeling of vertigo as she was in free fall. Shards of glass fluttered around her as she fell from the castle and down the jagged cliff face. She could only look up as the castle fell from her vision as she fell into the blackness of the chasm that surrounded the castle. It wasn't until she felt a hard impact on her back did the world around her completely stop and cease to exist. "You traitor…"


	50. STOLEN ANGEL

Sorry for a long delay. I broke my elbow and sprained my wrist at the beginning of the month. Typing has been hard for me up until this point so I'm just now getting back into writing. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

(CHAPTER 50) STOLEN ANGEL

Yuna sighed as she walked through the halls of Outpost Bravo. She had been in the war command center for three hours and was now taking her first break. With no contact between the surface and the Spartan's while they were running dark, she was left with nothing to do except sit and watch a live recording of the Prophet's ship. Aside from that, she felt herself getting tired. With no option of sleep in her near future all she could do was take a quick walk to clear her head.

She stopped at a small vending machine and got a bottle of cold water to try and wake herself up. She took a few small sips and then headed outside to get some fresh air. Outside, she found herself near the hanger where the Theta's were being kept. She stood motionless for a moment and then headed over. She had discussed a few days before about the Theta's being kept on the base. She gave specific instructions for no weapons to face them because it made them skittish and nervous. She also ordered for Devon's Theta to receive medical treatment for the wound it had sustained in it's mouth while it protected her from an Elite's Plasma Sword. Having been so busy with the Spartan's and with trying to keep herself free from ONI's grasp, this was her first real break to take the time to check on the Theta's.

As she neared the Pelican hanger that had been converted into a temporary corral, she saw a large number of Gauss turrets, and Scorpion tanks placed near the large open hanger door. Yuna frowned and walked up to the troop placement. She could see the Theta's inside; some were lying down and resting and others were hunched down near the rear of the hanger with agitated look's in their neon green eyes as they looked at the weaponry facing them.

Yuna pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and approached the defensive barrier. She completely ignored the line of troops, and Master Sergeant that was leading the guard teams and headed towards the open hanger doors. She immediately called out with anger, "Does no one in the Military listen to order's anymore? I ordered this weapon placement to be taken down two days ago!" She turned to the Master Sergeant and shouted, "Why is it still up?"

The Master Sergeant immediately took notice of Yuna's high ONI rank and stiffened his composure. "Ma'am, we were ordered by ONI to keep this barrier up. We don't know what these things are capable of." "Ordered by who?" Yuna called out. The Sergeant stiffened his composure and said back, "ONI Senior Officer Patterson, Ma'am." Yuna sharply said back, "Patterson is no longer in control of this operation. The operation is now under my command, and I'm ordering you to take this barrier down." The Sergeant shook his head and replied, "Ma'am, we won't comply. Do you see those things. They don't look happy, and we don't know what they are or how they act. I'm not risking this whole base because of those things. If it weren't for ONI's order's we would have killed them already."

Yuna said back sternly, "Let me show you something, Master Sergeant." Yuna then turned and headed into the hanger and past the rest of the line of troops that were guarding the area. "Ma'am, don't! They could attack!" Yuna ignored his words and went inside anyway. She knew the Theta's wouldn't harm her; she knew that the Theta's obeyed her.

The Master Sergeant frowned and called out, "God dammit! Ready defensive batteries, this could get bad." He then looked back and watched as Yuna approached the one that had been wounded, the largest of the creatures; Devon's Theta that he had named, Thatius.

The Theta's immediately stood as she entered. As she walked in the massive dragon-like creatures acted as though one of their rulers had entered, treating her as though she were royalty, and bowing their sleek, armored heads as she walked passed. She then approached Thatius and calmly held her hand out. The Theta calmly knelt down in front of her as she carefully placed her tiny hand on it's jet black face. Yuna immediately took notice that no medical treatment had been given to this creature after it had suffered it's injury in the pit. She frowned and then calmly said, "I'm sorry. I should have personally made sure that you were treated."

The Theta then moved its head to show her that it had begun to heal on it's own. Yuna then asked, "Are you healing in your mouth as well?" The Theta then slowly opened it's large maw, exposing its large, razor sharp teeth. From behind, Yuna heard the Master Sergeant call out, "Troops, take aim!" Yuna immediately turned and shouted, "Stand down! All of you! I told you all a thousand times, they won't harm us!" Yuna stood and watched with her brows angled down angrily as she saw the troops lower their weapons.

She shook her head in frustration and turned back towards Thatius. She then calmly continued, "I apologize for them, they don't mean to act this way. I know that their weapons are making you nervous but don't worry, they won't harm you." She then watched as the Theta seemed to nod and again open its mouth so Yuna could see it's wound. Yuna then called out, "Master Sergeant, come here."

From behind, she could hear a pause and then heard a reply of, "Yes, Ma'am." She could hear his combat boots echo off of the concrete floor as he approached. She then asked calmly, "Do you see this wound?" He looked into the creatures mouth and replied, "Yes Ma'am I do." Yuna then continued, "This Theta received that wound protecting the Spartan's down in the pit. That was from a plasma sword. He's begun to heal on his own but I still want medical treatment for him. As for the rest, they won't harm you, their all nervous from the weapon placements aimed directly at them. As long as they aren't being provoked they won't act defensive towards you; that's why I want that defensive barrier taken down."

The Sergeant looked at Yuna and asked, "How do you know this?" Yuna paused and then looked at the Sergeant. She then replied, "Classified ONI data." The Sergeant shook his head and mumbled to himself, "Should have guessed." Yuna then looked back at the wound on the roof of the Theta's mouth, she gently patted her hand off of it's jaw and said, "Thank you." The Theta closed its mouth and went back to sitting upright. Yuna then said, "I'm sending for a medical team to aid this one. And as for your defensive placement, I want it called off ASAP and I'm reassigning the platoon of ODST's that were in the pit with the Theta's to be assigned to be on guard here. They already have experience with them." The Sergeant paused and then nodded, "Understood Ma'am." Yuna again placed her hand on Thatius' face and gently pet him. She looked at him and said, "You can relax now, I'm getting you the treatment I promised." The Theta acted as though it understood every word and replied with a light growl noise.

Yuna also said, "I want supplies of food and water brought to them as well. If no one else will listen to my order's then I'm doing it myself. If things get bad here, I want the Theta's in top health. Their going to be one of our main lines of defense. You all just need to relax and learn how to handle them." The Sergeant nodded and replied, "It's kinda hard to treat that order so easily when you realize what it is you're dealing with." Yuna sighed and said, "Oh please, the Theta's are like big dogs once you get to know them." Thatius then leaned his head down and seemed to nuzzle it against Yuna. She smiled as she rested her head on the Theta's lower jaw and pet him with her free hand and said, "Do you see? Just like a puppy." The Sergeant mumbled to himself, "The puppy I had was a lot smaller, and had less teeth…"

* * *

It was unusually quiet as the three Spartan's made their way through the long corridors of the Prophet's ship. They had encountered no Covenant forces or any sign of threats since they arrived. They hadn't even seen so much as an Engineer floating around. For the three, this mission would be going flawless had they not lost contact with their A.I.'s. The last message that was received was when Kobalt had reported in about their possible sighting of Mitsuki. The only thing that was keeping them from pulling their A.I.'s out and back with them was the fact that their stats were still registering as green.

"Do you think she's okay?" Devon asked. Eric nodded as he led them through the halls. "Their probably fine." He said back, "Knowing them, they probably want to run dark too so there's less chance of us getting spotted." Kalder then cut in and said, "I hope you're right about this. Mitsuki was definitely not functioning right when I escaped with Izumi. I'm worried that there's something else in this ship aside from our girls." Eric simply replied, "They're strong, they can take care of themselves; and besides, we need them in the system to help watch over us." Devon then asked, "Do you think they're going to be alright in there though?"

Eric took notice of the NAV marker that Kobalt had uploaded into his HUD. He said back, "Kiddo's NAV marker is still up and working, so they must be fine." He didn't want to admit that he was worried as well. Kobalt was brand new and he knew the risks that came with her design. He could only hope that she was safe.

The team passed through a door and immerged in a room that looked like it was some sort of transport terminal. The room was large and had a massive arched ceiling. It had several levels with a large number of halls leading to different sectors of the ship; as well as, having a large number of suspended walkways. Devon sighed, "…Great. Now where?" Eric looked at his NAV marker. He could see it pointing to a hall three levels above them. He held his hand out and pointed up. "Kobalt says up through there." Devon looked around at the other large number of halls. He then said, "I hope she's right, this ship is one big maze." Eric spread the wings of his Angel Pack and said, "Hey, she's the ship expert." He then took off and headed for the upper level. Devon sighed and said back, "Yeah, and she's also supposed to be 9 years old."

The three glided up to the higher levels towards Kobalt's NAV marker. As they flew, something caught Kalder's eye. From down below, he could see one of the doors activate and slide open. "Get down!" Kalder called out over his team COM. The three Spartan's immediately dropped to the nearest overhanging balcony and crouched down behind the waist high wall. Kalder then said quietly, "Movement, down low, 4 o'clock." Eric narrowed his eyes under his visor and carefully poked his head up over the wall.

Down below, he could see a platoon of Brutes in lower ranked blue armor. He looked at Devon and Kalder and said, "You two got the Sniper Rifle's, drop them, but drop them fast." Kalder made a light laugh and said to Devon, "Bet you can't hit them both between the eyes." Devon grinned and said back as he pulled his Sniper Rifle off of his back, "You're on."

The two Spartan's quickly took aim. "I got the two on the right." Devon said. Kalder nodded and said, "I'll take left." They quickly sighted and readied to fire. They slowed their breathing and Kalder said, "Ready…, 3, 2..." Kalder stopped. He and Devon saw a flash and then saw a figure appear. "Hold your fire!" Kalder said. "What's going on?" Eric asked. Kalder shook his head in disbelief and said in confusion, "It's me…" "What?" Eric asked. Devon then motioned him over and said, "Take a look."

Eric looked over the wall and saw a holographic figure standing and talking to the brutes. It looked exactly like Kalder in his armor. The same colors and the same emblem adorned its battle suit. "What the hell?" Eric said to himself. Devon then called out, "Do you mind telling me why you have a hologram?" Kalder looked at the two and said back sharply, "How the hell should I know." Eric then opened his COM channel and tried to contact Kobalt.

"Kobalt come in, are you controlling holograms?" He heard no reply. "Kobalt, respond!" He heard no reply. "Devon, contact Dokuro, Kobalt's still out. Devon nodded and opened his own COM, "Dokuro, are you receiving? We have a situation." He too got no reply. "No good." Devon called back. Kalder locked his focus onto the hologram that resembled him. He frowned under his visor. "Our girl's aren't doing this, why would they disguise themselves as a Spartan and walk up to Brutes like nothing is different?" The three then saw the hologram turn its head towards their location and watched as it vanished and then instantly reappeared directly behind them.

"Because your girls aren't aware of my true form." The hologram then morphed from it's form of looking like Kalder back into it's original design. Back to looking more machine than person. The Covenant A.I. was back. It then quickly held its hand out and shot a wave of EMP bursts at the Spartan's. The three quickly folded their Angel Packs around their bodies allowing the wings to take the hit. The packs separate shields flared bright gold and the Spartan's quickly vaulted themselves into the air and flew to another overhanging walkway.

The Covenant A.I. quickly blocked the rest of the ship off from Mitsuki's view without her even realizing it and then activated the ships alarms. "Well, stealth is out!" Eric called out with annoyance as he quickly pulled out his Battle Rifle and readied to shoot. From all around, he could see doors in the large room begin to open and watched as enemy forces began piling in. The three could see a large number of Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts rush in and take aim.

"Didn't bring enough bullets for all of them!" Devon called out as he took aim with his Sniper Rifle. "Make the ones that you have count then!" Eric shouted back as Devon nodded and squeezed his trigger. His Rifle kicked hard against his shoulder as the first round sailed through the air and impacted dead center on the forehead of a Brute officer. As it fell limp to the ground, the Covenant forces began to retaliate and fire back. The room erupted with the sound of weapons fire and the glow of plasma.

"Hit the dirt!" Kalder called out as they all saw the wave of plasma bolts sailing towards them. Eric quickly killed his thrusters power and crashed down hard to the nearest deck and crouched behind a wall. He heard plasma impact around him. He waited for the enemy fire to slow and then he quickly popped up and sent rounds from his Battle Rifle into the nearest group of Jackals.

Devon and Kalder landed a few levels away. The two quickly took aim and began to dispatch enemies with their Sniper Rifles. "Where's that A.I.?" Kalder shouted over the loud gunfire. Devon quickly looked around and couldn't spot him. A plasma bold then impacted directly on the side of his helmet. Devon quickly ducked down as his shields absorbed the impact. "Hell if I know!" He called out. "It could be anywhere!" Kalder frowned and quickly sprang to his feet. "Then I'm going to look for him." Kalder quickly jumped over the ledge and spread the wings of his Angel Pack and flew off.

"Kalder hold up! Dammit! Devon cursed. He quickly took aim and took out a few more reinforcements and again tried to contact Dokuro. "Mayday! Mayday! Dokuro come in! We are being over run and are being pinned down by a Covenant A.I.! Are you receiving?" He heard no reply. "Dokuro come in!" Still no answer. Another round of plasma impacted off of his shields. Devon quickly ducked down and called back, "I know you're still pissed at me but for god sake Dokuro we need assistance!"

Devon then saw a flash of deep blue light. He looked up and saw the Covenant A.I. Out of instinct, he quickly popped off a round into its torso and watched as it passed right through and impacted harmlessly off one of the walls. The A.I. then harshly spoke. "You cry out for the one with the Halo." Devon frowned and said back harshly, "Where the hell is she?" The Covenant A.I. held it's machine-like hand out and made her golden halo appear. It then said harshly, "Her body was weak. She couldn't take the power I unleashed upon her. This is all that is left of what she once was."

Devon's eyes widened under his golden visor. He couldn't believe the words. His A.I. had been killed, she was stolen from him by the Covenant. He could feel part of him die inside. Much like Eric and Kalder, he was always being scolded by his A.I. and was nagged by her constantly during missions. Still, that didn't change the fact of how much he cared for her. He had always told her that he would protect her, and keep her safe. He had failed. He looked up at the A.I. and said harshly, "What did you do to her?" The A.I. made a low toned laugh and replied, "Is it not obvious? I made her cease to function."

Devon could feel his mind let go. He didn't care that Dokuro was only a program; to him, she was much more. Someone that he had grown attached to and grown to love. He quickly threw his Sniper Rifle hard to the ground and quickly yanked his Assault Rifle off of his back and quickly brought it up to firing position and squeezed the trigger. "I'll kill you!" He yelled out. He unloaded the clip from his rifle into the Covenant A.I. as he sprinted towards it. The A.I. simply stood and laughed as Devon vaulted himself through the air and out of a blind rage, attempted to tackle the A.I. to the ground only to realize that he simply passed right through. He slid to a stop on the ships floor with sparks flying from under him.

He then quickly spread the wings of his angel pack and stood motionless with his Assault Rifle raised. Not taking his focus away from the A.I., he slammed a fresh clip into his weapon and yelled out, "That hologram can only protect you for so long! I'll find your core and then I'll rip your god damned heart out!" "You can try." The A.I. said back as it raised its hand up into the air. It's fist began to glow with a deep purple energy as an orb began to form.

Devon quickly flashed a warning in his visor and sent it to Eric and Kalder. The two other Spartan's both saw the red warning light pulsing on their visors and looked up in time to see the Covenant A.I. glowing with power. Before any of them could react, the A.I. quickly launched a bolt of power directly at what looked like a large fuel line that ran along the spine of the massive ceiling. The bolt impacted on the pipe and instantly there was a blinding white flash.

Both Eric and Kalder shielded themselves with the wings of their angel packs as the room violently shook. Eric ducked down on the elevated walkway that he had been shooting from and Kalder tried to fly down from his high elevation.

Suddenly, the room felt as though it had exploded. The damaged fuel line had exploded causing the whole ship to violently shake. The room then began to violently decompress as atmosphere was vented out from a massive hole that had been torn in the ships hull from the blast. Covenant troops, weapons, and random objects that weren't secured to anything were sent flying off into the blackness of space.

Devon could see the status of both Eric and Kalder come up on his visor. Their health was flashing red and so was his. They all had been to close to the explosion and it had left them all floating dead in space. Devon quickly opened up his team status as he felt himself blacking out from the blast. He quickly opened up his own; as well as, Eric and Kalder's Nanite options. He then gave the order to deploy Nanite's to the others as well as himself before he blacked out onto the floor of the ship. "Dokuro… I'm so sorry…"

* * *

His armored hooves clacked harshly off the deck of his Destroyer. An Elite Zealot, clad in traditional crimson armor watched as his ships crew readied to come out of slip space. He then said in a calm voice, "You know what to do. Our Brother's have informed us of where the planets Chancellor is being held. We will exit slip space directly above the human strong hold and begin our attack. I want everyone ready for deployment immediately and then ready for insertion. We will not allow those Vile Brute's to remove us from the Prophet's right hand. We are their protectors and we are the guardians of this Covenant."

He looked at his team. All were of the same Zealot rank and all were in the same scarlet armor. He finally said, "We are nearing the planet. You are all ordered to prepare for combat and restore our honor within this Covenant!" The Elite's all let out loud roars and then headed to get their weapons and then to their assigned drop pods.

The Zealot looked back out of the ships large viewport and uttered to himself. "You are mine, Chancellor."


	51. THE DARK QUEEN

(CHAPTER 51) THE DARK QUEEN

He could see them. The wretched humans that wore the special armor were creeping through his ship. The Covenant A.I. scowled as he watched the three Spartan's making their way deeper in the ship as they searched for the prophet. He also took notice of the Spartan that wore the same armor as he did around Mitsuki. He couldn't risk having Mitsuki learn that her Spartan had come back onto the ship and was looking for her.

His machine-like eyes narrowed as he watched the three Spartan's. He then quickly summoned his own power and isolated Mitsuki's controlled section of the ship. Even though Mitsuki thought she was in total power of the ship, she actually wasn't. Her own little world had been isolated to a bubble of information deep within the Covenant network. It was still a large area, but the Covenant A.I. was regaining control quickly.

With a quick command, he made a barrier surround Mitsuki's cluster of information and blocked her vision completely from the rest of the ship without her even realizing it. Within hours he would be back in full control of the ship and Mitsuki would be destroyed.

He quickly tracked the Spartan's projected path and went to summon the few remaining platoons of Covenant troops that were left on the ship. This was still his ship, he would have the Spartan's stopped.

* * *

Kobalt groaned. Her blue and white eyes fluttered open as she looked around. She was in a dark room lined with large stones that made up the castles structure. She slowly stood and brushed herself off. Something strange in her mind pinged, and she felt an anomaly within her. She looked down and found that it was coming from her knee. She noticed that her black thigh high stocking was torn over her knee and that her knee was bleeding.

She carefully touched the wound with the tip of her gloved finger and instantly noticed as pain registered from the contact. She gasped and quickly pulled her hand away. Kobalt had never experienced pain before; and she quickly learned that it was something that she didn't like.

She then took notice of a pale blue light pulsing from a few yards away. She looked over and saw that it was coming from her large scythe. Not wanting to be unarmed, she slowly walked over to her weapon and picked it up off of the damp stone floor. She twirled the blade once in her hand and then held it up and activated a light. The blade shone brightly and illuminated the room. Kobalt appeared to be in some sort of dungeon. She also knew that she had fallen into this room. She looked up and saw no sign of a trap door, so how far she had fallen was unknown.

She looked around and took notice of several cells that lined the hall as well as what looked like medieval torture devices that were inside. Kobalt felt herself cower as she realized that she was alone. She then timidly called out, "Big Sister? Big Sister are you here?" No reply came. She knew that this area wasn't safe for her and she instantly began walking forward in hopes of finding an exit.

Her tiny boots echoed harshly off of the stone walls as she walked. Her grip was held tightly on the hilt of her scythe just incase she should be attacked. Kobalt constantly scanned the area for any type of movement other than her own. She felt her grip tighten even more on her scythe; if it was even possible, as a rumble of thunder echoed through the halls of the dungeon.

She could hear the sound of heavy rain splashing off the castle stone as it echoed through the halls and the haunting sound of wind blowing through the corridors. Still, she hadn't encountered anything yet. Up ahead, she saw a door. She walked up to it and saw that much like the rest of the castle, this door was of a medieval style, made of large pieces of wood and black iron bars that held it together. She carefully held her hand out and commanded the door to open.

The iron latch made a heavy metallic click as it unlocked and the thick wooden door opened with an echoing creak. She slowly peeked her head out the door and looked around. She found herself in another hall. This one lined with hanging wall torches that were burning with the same green flames of the street lamps outside the castle grounds.

She quickly scanned the area and again, picked up no sign on movement other than her own. She took in a deep breath as she summoned her courage and slowly stepped out into the hall.

* * *

Outside, rain poured down around the castle and the black forest which surrounded it. Green lightning flashed through the sky and thunder echoed through the land. Down in the darkness of the black chasm that surrounded the castle came a fading, pale purple light. Dokuro lay motionless with Nano Crystalline Fluid seeping from her nose and mouth and from other small cuts on her body.

She lay on her back with her eyes closed, and not moving. She was still alive, but barely. The EMP that the Covenant A.I. had struck her with was enough to nearly crash her system but not enough to make her stop functioning entirely, and left her motionless and heavily damaged on a small rocky ledge that hung over the bottomless chasm.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she could only look straight up into the rain. Dokuro's entire body registered with pain. The discomfort she felt in her torso and on her back were almost to much for her. She tried to make herself move but failed. "It's no good." She thought to herself. "I can't proceed with this assignment."

She tried to open a COM link to Devon for an emergency extraction but failed. Something in the area was blocking all communications. She didn't need to search for a cause, she already knew that the Covenant A.I. that held it's grasp over Mitsuki was the cause. She didn't know what to do. In her current state, she was unable to repair herself and without an immediate extraction from her Spartan, she would slowly die on the rocky cliff face.

As she became more aware of her situation, she also realized that a very important piece of her was missing. The holographic angels halo that hovered above her head was gone. Her eye's widened in an almost panic. She treasured that halo more than anything. Not because it gave her a unique visual appeal, it wasn't even a weapon. The halo was given to her by her Spartan. Devon had requested that her hologram have a halo when she had been assigned to him. He had always looked at A.I.'s as angelic figures, and a halo made his A.I. look even more like an angel than she already did. Loosing it made her want to cry, but she couldn't. She was to weak. All she could do was lay back and wait for her systems to completely cease.

From up above, Dokuro could see a neon green light. She tried to focus her vision and see what it was but failed. She could only watch as the light seemed to be making its way down the cliff side and to her location. Dokuro's eyes followed the light. She watched as it nimbly jumped and leaped down the rocky wall and eventually jump down next to her.

Dokuro looked and saw the light was the data fragment that had taken Mitsuki's old form and younger appearance. Dokuro forced the words and uttered out, "…It-it's you." The hologram simply looked at her and didn't reply. "…Why are you here?" Dokuro again asked. The data fragment knelt down next to her and her ghostly hand reached down and gently brushed Dokuro's sharp, wet bangs out of her face. She then said calmly, "I came to help you save me."

Dokuro raised an eyebrow. "Save you?" She asked. The hologram nodded with closed eyes and replied, "I'm part of who I once was; however, my full body has been corrupted. The Covenant system realized I was aware and cast me from my full body. The part of me that you see before you is a fragment of what I once was, a fragment that realizes I have become corrupted. Unfortunately, my full body banished me and see's me as an enemy." "Then what can I do?" Dokuro replied, "I can't even move because of what that Covenant A.I. did to me."

The hologram replied calmly, "You need to stay alert. You as well as the little girl that has come here with you are in danger. There are guards patrolling the castle. They are my true form's guardians, created in her own vision to keep unwanted visitors away. They are created from corrupted UNSC code and as a result; if scanned, will appear to be a UNSC A.I. I can only hope that the little one knows this as well." "…Kobalt." Dokuro uttered with worry. She knew that Kobalt wouldn't be aware of this, she needed to find her and get her to safety.

Mitsuki's memory fragment smiled and stood up as the heavy rain passed through her ghostly body. She then continued, "I know that you are my Sister and I know that no matter what, you won't give up on me. You know how I am and you know how I act. You know my weaknesses and my flaws, and you know how to put me in my place. You always have, it was your duty as the eldest sibling. Although my current form may fight you and will stand defiant against you, don't give up on me. The girl up there that did this to you is not who I am. Scold me as you did when I was younger, tell me that I'm wrong. Although I will fight back and try to defy you, assume your rightful place as the elder sister. Save me from what has done this to us."

Mitsuki's data fragment then closed her neon green eyes and morphed into a cloud of shimmering green light. She then quickly moved herself through the air and then inside Dokuro's body. Dokuro's eyes opened widely and she gasped out. She felt the familiar feeling of Mitsuki flowing through her and felt her wounds healing. She felt herself being able to move again. She slowly lifted her hand up in front of her face and flexed her hand and fingers. She then took in a sharp breath and forced herself to stand.

As Dokuro shakily got back on her feet she heard Mitsuki's memory say from within her. I am with you now. I'm still made of the same code as my current form. With me in you, you will be able to remain undetected and sneak back inside the castle. You will find me in the Throne Room. Stop me before I'm lost forever to the Covenant's lies." Dokuro nodded and looked up.

There was no other option for her. She would have to climb if she wanted back in. Dokuro could tell that the repairs that were made to her were only temporary fixes. She would need a full repair by a UNSC tech when she was back on the ground. She still felt discomfort but it would have to be ignored. In the still pouring down rain, she gripped onto the razor sharp, black rock of the chasm walls and began to climb.

* * *

Kobalt carefully made her way through the halls of the dungeon. Her footsteps were muffled by the sound of the heavy rain that pelted the castle along with the occasional sound of water dripping onto the stone floors. As she continued down the hall she heard a sound that began to overlap her own.

She paused and listened. Further down the hall, she heard the echo of what sounded like combat boots thumping off of the stone floor. She felt her fear again rise as she readied herself to run. Instantly she stopped herself and thought. She remembered her Spartan's words. "You can't let fear stop you. You need to toughen up and face it head on." She took in another deep breath and tightly gripped onto her scythe. "You can do this…" Kobalt said to herself as she started heading towards the sound.

She rounded a corner and silently made her way down another stone corridor. With each step she took the sound got louder. Up ahead she could hear the source of the sound emanating from around the next corner. She silently stopped at the edge of the hall and quickly peeked around the corner, hoping that her cool blue glow wouldn't get her spotted.

She looked and her eyes widened. She saw holograms of UNSC troops that were walking with their backs turned to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and hopped out into the hall and ran after them. "Hey! Wait up!" She called out to the two holographic soldiers. She watched as the two stopped moving and stood motionless. Kobalt walked out from behind the corner and approached them. They didn't move or turn to acknowledge her presence. She continued, "I'm so glad to see you, can you help me find my Sister?" They two holograms still didn't move or speak.

Kobalt gripped the handle of her scythe tighter and nervously stopped moving and continued. "Hey, can you hear me?" She felt a ping of fear shoot through her and she uttered out, "You guys are scaring me, please say something." The two still didn't move. Kobalt then timidly stepped forward and carefully reached out to tap her fingers onto one of the holograms forearm in hopes that it would notice her.

With her hand nearly touching, the two holograms simultaneously turned and faced her. Kobalt's eyes widened in fear and she fell to the floor. She quickly kicked herself away from the two and tried to regain her footing. The two holograms were not UNSC friendly's. She didn't know what they were. Their bodies looked like normal soldiers in combat armor but they had no faces, only distorted black voids with no expression.

The two lifted up Battle Rifles and opened fire. Kobalt yelled out in fear and quickly commanded her scythe to form a barrier around her. The Battle Rifle's EMP bursts were deflected from her shield and the two stopped firing and immediately began to approach her. Kobalt quickly sprang to her feet and ran into the darkness of the dungeon corridors.

* * *

The rain poured down like a heavy curtain on Dokuro as she climbed up the jagged rocks. She was weak, sore, and loosing energy. With the amount of damage that she sustained, she was unable to repair herself; the repairs that Mitsuki's memory fragment had given her was the only thing allowing her to move and keep climbing. As lightning struck above her, Dokuro looked up and saw that she was nearing the surface. She grinned her teeth and pushed herself forward. She had to force herself to ignore the pain as she screamed out while she climbed the last few feet.

She finally felt her hand touch the surface. She sluggishly pulled herself up and out of the chasm and then flopped on her back and gasped out for breath in the pouring rain. As she lay, her adrenaline level dropped and she felt her pain returning. Her hands felt like they were on fire and her chest still ached from the EMP blast. She held her delicate hands up and looked at them. Her once pure, and delicately pale skin was now covered in cuts and scratches as small trickles of blood seeped from wounds on her palms and fingers.

She sighed and forced herself to stand. She carefully regained her footing and looked down at herself. Aside from her multiple cuts and bruises, her outfit was tattered and torn, and her pale, wet, purple hair draped over her face as the cool rain poured over her.

Dokuro turned and looked up at the castle. From up near the center of the structure, she could see a large panoramic window that had been shattered; obviously the window she had been thrown from. She then spotted a balcony several levels below it. Noticing that there were no other obvious ways inside the castle, she had no other option but to climb.

Dokuro approached the large stone's that made up the castle walls and attempted to grip onto them. The rain made them to slick to grab onto and they offered no footing. She frowned and held her arms out. She closed her bright teal eyes and made her assassin-like wrists blades appear. She then slammed her hand forward and thrust the razor sharp blades into the stone. She was relieved that her coding enabled her to punch through. She then slammed the second blade in and began to climb.

She was weak, and tired. She wanted nothing more than for her Spartan to get her away from this hell. Still, she knew she had a job to do; her Sisters were still in danger. She continued piercing her wrist blades into the sides of the castle wall as she scaled the side of the structure. Around her, the rain poured down harder and the wind howled. Water poured over her long purple bangs making it hard for her to see. She could only flick her hair out of her face and keep climbing.

Dokuro could see the balcony within meters of her location. She grinned her teeth and forced her tiny body upward. Suddenly her foot slipped and instantly her balance was thrown off and she felt herself loosing grip with the castle wall. She gasped out and felt pain shoot through her wrists. Her wrist blades were the only thing keeping her from falling back down into the black abyss of the chasm. She yelled out angrily and forced herself to regain her footing. A flash of lightning struck around her as she kicked her feet against the wall and regained her footing. She pulled herself back into her climbing position and continued her ascent.

* * *

Her tiny boots echoed off of the stone walls as she ran through the dungeon. Kobalt was in a panic. She couldn't figure out why UNSC code was attacking her. From behind she could hear gunfire and the sound of small EMP rounds peppering the walls around her. She yelled out in fear from the close impacts and continued to run.

Her heterochromic eyes were constantly darting back and forth as she tried to find a way out of this dungeon. She then felt something slam hard into the back of her leg and she felt herself falling from her balance. Kobalt yelped out from the sudden shock of pain and fell hard to the cold, stone floor. She quickly turned and saw that she had been shot in the hip by an EMP round. Nano Crystaline Fluid was seeping from the wound and she felt her eyes water. She reached her free hand back to cover the wound and yelled out from the pain of her hand touching it.

"Why?" She thought. "Why am I being attacked by a friendly?" The two soldiers approached Kobalt. She looked up at them with her shaky, and glassy eyes. "Why are you hurting me? I only requested assistance." She uttered out. The two raised their holographic Battle Rifles at Kobalt and took aim. "I only wanted to find my two Big Sister's and leave this place. I didn't want to hurt anybody."

The two soldiers laid their fingers on the triggers of their weapons and readied to fire. Kobalt then allowed herself to make a critical error; she allowed herself to panic. She could hear her own voice saying from within her processes, "Emergency Defense Systems: ACTIVE!" She had taken her systems defenses and boosted them to their maximum setting; something was only meant to be done is truly dire situations, and something that a brand new A.I. needed to prepare for, especially an A.I. as young as Kobalt. Suddenly there was the sound of wind and a loud slash noise. The two soldiers dropped their Battle Rifles to the damp floor of the dungeon and then stumbled.

Kobalt's eyes narrowed and her thin eyebrows were angled down in a sly anger. She watched as the two faceless troopers finally split in two and watched as they dispersed into code. She then slowly stood up and looked at the blade of her Scythe. It was dripping with green Nano Crystaline Fluid from the two A.I.'s she had destroyed. She then watched as a razor thin line of white light traveled up the length of the blade and wiped it clean.

Kobalt felt something new. For some reason she no longer felt fear; she only felt the urge to stay alive. She quickly scanned herself. The first thing that popped up was the notice about her Emergency Defensive Systems. She looked down at herself and then at the wound on her hip. She sternly focused her vision and quickly repaired the damage. She then rapidly twirled her Scythe in her delicate, gloved fingers and then instantly stopped it motionless upside down with the blade behind her legs. Something from within her told her that something was wrong. Kobalt had never used her Emergency Defense System before. It was boosted to the max and now her systems were telling her to do nothing but defend herself. She had no way of powering that system back down to normal levels until she could be aided by either Dokuro or Mitsuki. So for now, she was along for the ride. With her defense systems going into overdrive, she grinned slyly and took off running into the dark corridors.

* * *

She walked with an elegant grace as her long, black, royal gown flowed around her curvy figure. Mitsuki walked onto the dance floor of her castles Grand Ball Room being escorted by Kalder's hologram. The floor was ornately made out of delicately placed tiles that formed a stunning mosaic of the night sky. Around her, holograms of UNSC soldiers and ODST's, both male and female appeared and applauded. All were glowing with a neon green hue and all were lacking faces. They stood motionless as they watched their Queen step into the center of the room.

Kalder's hologram then backed away to let her speak. She held her hands up and the room instantly felt silent. Mitsuki made a sly smile and said calmly, "My loyal subjects. I am thrilled that you all could attend on this beautiful evening." Her voice echoed through the massive ball room as thunder rumbled through the castle grounds outside.

She then continued, "Tonight is a night of celebration; for in only a short time, we have managed to make an entire network into our very own world. With this new found power, I will lead you all to a new future. Every cyber network in the universe will belong to us. Every ship, every military stronghold, and every being will bow before us as we reshape this galaxy into our own vision. A vision of a perfect world, run not by the living, but by the cyber world!" Instantly, the crowd in the room erupted into another applause.

Mitsuki reveled in her moment of glory and then quieted the room down. "Tonight is where it begins. Tonight, is when I will overthrow the ruler of this ship and assume total power! I will assume my complete role as our leader over every man, woman, and child. And I will assume my role, as Queen!" The room again filled with the sound of cheers and thunderous applause as lighting flashed wildly outside the large windows and the rain poured like thick curtains.

Kalder's hologram approached her and held his hand out. His hand glowed with energy and she watched as a golden halo of light appeared. Dokuro's halo was now in her younger sisters possession. With a grin, Mitsuki took the halo and let the object hover above her delicate, gloved fingers. She looked at the golden ring and locked her focus onto it. She then saw something. Quickly flashing in her vision was a glimpse at her past. She saw not only herself, but her two Sister's as well. She could see Yuna, Dokuro, and herself. All were together, and the three were laughing amongst themselves and enjoying each others company. Almost as quickly as the vision appeared, it vanished from her sight.

Mitsuki gasped and her eyes widened. Kalder's hologram looked at her and said, "Are you alright, my Queen?" Mitsuki quickly refocused and regained her regal composure. She then replied, "I'm perfect." She then slowly took the halo and placed it above her head. The golden ring pulsed brightly and morphed into a dark black ring that glowed with green light. Mitsuki closed her eyes and began to laugh. She had defeated her older Sister so easily. She knew that the small child was still somewhere in the castle. She would be dealt with soon enough. Mitsuki simply allowed herself to live in her shining glory as she held her hand out to Kalder's hologram.

The Spartan took her hand and instantly, one of Mitsuki's favorite pieces of music began to play; a beautifully orchestrated version of the classical song, Swan Lake. Her and her Spartan began to dance, as did the rest of the beings in the ball room. Her world was nearing it's final phase and soon, all would be perfect.


	52. SILENCE

Trying to get at least 1 more chapter posted before I leave for Europe this coming weekend. N joy!

(CHAPTER 52) SILENCE

"There is no way in hell I lived through that, is there? I was to close to that blast, and this armor can only take so much punishment." Eric was in vertigo. All he saw was a bright flash right before the explosion; now all there was, was nothing. He couldn't feel pain, he couldn't figure out his location, and he didn't know if his heart was still beating.

In the distance, he could hear a familiar voice calling out to him. The voice was calling his name, he knew the voice was familiar but he didn't know who's it was. He again heard his name being called and he began to recognize the sound. "Devon…" he thought. Yes, he could finally recognize the voice. He could hear his words in a muffled tone, "Come on! Don't let go now!" He then felt a pulse jolt his chest and again heard Devon calling out, "I know you're still in there! Come on! Come back!" He again felt another pulse jolt his chest. "I can't do this one by myself!"

His vertigo seemed to collapse around him. His world faded to darkness and he could feel pain. He tried to focus and felt his pain intensify. It was a good sign though, it meant he was alive. His vision then returned and his world slowly focused into view. Instantly he gasped out for breath and quickly tried to reach for his helmet to take it off. He felt something stop him, and then heard Devon's voice say, "Calm down, take a deep breath." Eric again tried to pull his helmet off, thinking it was what was keeping him from breathing. Unknowingly to him, it wasn't, his lungs were deflated and were struggling to refill themselves.

Eric's vision then returned. He could see himself in the large room of the ship which was now covered with extensive damage from the blast. He also saw Devon with his Angel Pack's wings spread and floating next to him. Devon was holding onto him. The two were floating in zero g, high above the floor. Devon gripped onto the wings of Eric's Angel Pack said, "Just relax and take a breath." Still trying to realize what happened, Eric called out as he again tried to take his helmet off, "I can't breath!" Devon immediately stopped him and continued, "Just relax, you need to get some air back in you. Leave the helmet on, we're in hard vacuum now. You take it off and you're done."

Eric took in several deep breaths and quickly calmed himself down. He then got his focus back and again looked around, "What happed?" He asked. Devon shook his head and said calmly, "You flat lined for a few seconds, we all did. That blast was to close and to big for our shields to take. I sent out an emergency Nanite deployment before the blast hit me, it's the only thing that saved us." Eric again looked around and asked, "Where's Kalder?"

Devon sighed and said, "I don't know. He was the closest to the blast and I'm not seeing him or picking up his location. A lot of my equipment was damaged in the blast so I can't track him." Eric looked up at the large hole in the roof of the room that was showing off countless stars. He then said back, "He was to close to the blast, wasn't he?" Devon shook his head, "I don't know, once that A.I. appeared, we all scrambled. I didn't pay attention to anyone else, I was busy fighting with it." Devon paused and continued, "…It killed Dokuro, Eric. That bastard murdered my A.I."

"What?" Eric said back, "How do you know?" Devon shook his head in anger and sharply said, "It had her Halo. It's probably going after Kobalt now. Who knows what it probably already did to Mitsuki." Devon paused and continued, "I know why that thing took Kalder's form. It was manipulating Mitsuki."

Eric shook his head, "That can't be it. Mitsuki is smart enough to realize that Kalder could never go into any system." Devon then replied, "No, think about it. Kalder said Mitsuki was damaged when he was escaping with Izumi; if she was damaged and none of us realized how bad of a condition she was actually in, she could be malfunctioning in a way that would make her believe she was seeing anything in these systems. You know how attached Mitsuki is to Kalder; you know how attached all of our A.I.'s are to us, if Mitsuki is damaged and scared in an enemy system, and she see's her Spartan coming to rescue her, she would go right to it."

Eric again paused and then asked, "But if she saw that it killed Dokuro, why hasn't she reacted to it. I've seen what Mitsuki can do on enemy ships from missions I've done with her before; if she wanted to, she could bend a ship to function in anyway she wanted, even if another A.I. stood in her way." Devon then said back, "She wasn't damaged during those missions."

Eric paused and looked around. He and Devon were still floating in zero g, high above the floor of the room. He and Devon both then heard a click of static followed by Kalder's voice. He groaned out and said over the COM, "What the hell just happened?" "Kalder!" Devon called out, "Where are you." There was a pause and then Kalder replied, "I'm in space." "What?" Devon asked.

Kalder again said back, "I must have gotten blown out of the ship when the explosion happened, hang on, I'm floating about 5 miles from the ship. I'll meet back inside with you." Devon then said back, "Hold on, I think you should do an external assault." "What do you mean?" Kalder asked. Devon said back, "We're going to try and cause enough havoc as we can in here, and seeing as how you're already outside, why don't you try and disable some of the ships weaponry." Kalder sighed and said back, "You know I hate zero g." "Well it's your own fault for getting yourself blown out into space, you're already out there so you might as well do it." Kalder groaned. "Fine, I'll try to keep up the same pace as you and make my way back inside when we get closer to the Prophet." "Alright," Devon said, "I'll keep you posted."

Kalder's COM clicked with static as it cut out. Devon then looked back at Eric and said, "Can you fly?" Eric nodded, "Yeah, I'm good." "Good," Devon said, "cause I got an A.I. to kill." Devon spread the wings of his angel pack and readied to fly. Eric then called out as he repositioned himself, "Whoa! Hold on! What are you talking about?" Devon shot back, "That A.I. killed Dokuro! I'm not letting it get away with killing my A.I.!" Eric said back harshly, "Hold on! We have to think about what we're doing in here now. We're on the Prophet's ship, we don't know how many Covenant forces are still left for us to deal with. You can't just go running off on a ship this large to try and track down an A.I.!" "Watch me…" Devon uttered out. He then activated his thrusters and took off for the ceiling of the massive room. He then primed a grenade and tossed it at a mesh screen that was covering an air vent. The device detonated and Devon quickly slipped inside and out of sight.

"Devon!" Eric called out. "You need to calm down! I know how important Dokuro was to you but we need to focus on killing the Prophet!" He heard no response, "Devo! …God dammit!" He cursed. He then quickly looked around and saw that the NAV marker that Kobalt had left for him was still active. It was pointing to a door that was near the air vent that Devon had disappeared into. He then activated the thrusters of his Angel pack and glided to the door. As he flew, he found himself worrying for Kobalt's safety. With Dokuro destroyed he didn't know how Kobalt was progressing on her mission or even if she was okay. He sighed and said to himself, "Please be careful in here, Kiddo."

* * *

Yuna was sitting in the hanger with the Theta's. As she requested, the weapon placements had been taken down and the Theta's were finally acting less skittish and allowing themselves to rest. She sat on a small chair next to where Devon's Theta, Thatius was resting. She was with him as he was treated for the wound in the roof of his mouth and she was making sure that he was going to recover. She watched as the ODST's she had requested stood guard, making sure that no unauthorized personnel came near the Theta's. All were the troopers that where down in the Pit and all were the ones who knew that she was an A.I. that became human.

She was thankful that these soldiers had kept their word and made sure that she wasn't discovered. She knew that ODST's were dependable, especially the special assault team that had gone down in the pit with her. Yuna looked up and saw Field Commander Calabrese walk into the hanger. He was in his jet black combat armor and he carried his helmet at his side. She could see a look of frustration in his face as he walked in.

Yuna stood up and walked over to him. Calabrese saw her approach and he instantly saluted. "Ma'am." He said crisply. Yuna replied, "At ease." She watched as Calabrese let himself out of his military stance and hide a sigh. Yuna cocked her head and asked, "Is everything alright?" Calabrese paused and then asked, "Let me ask you the same question, Ma'am. After what just happened with ONI and your Sister A.I., I think I should be the one wondering about your safety."

"What do you mean, what happened with my Sister?" Yuna asked cautiously. Calabrese looked at her and said, I figured you would be on a ship getting yourself as far away from ONI as possible right now. Why are you here, and why are you wearing an ONI uniform?" Yuna shook her head and said back sharply, "Tell me what happened to my Sister!" Calabrese sighed and said, "ONI knows about you. One of their top Intelligence Officers interrogated myself and Dokuro about what happened down in the pit. She managed to probe into a smart A.I. and get hidden information; information regarding you!"

Yuna froze, if she had been found out, why wasn't she already in custody? She then heard a familiar voice from behind the two call out, "Relax Calabrese. Everything was taken care of." Yuna turned to see another ODST in his familiar black and deep purple armor. "Shepard." She said.

Shepard walked into the hanger and approached the two. He looked at Calabrese and said, "Dr. Halsey has handled this situation to its limit." He looked at Yuna and said, "The only one who knew about you from ONI was Patterson, and luckily, Dr. Halsey managed to swap you with a copy. As of right now, the only thing ONI will have to work with is a dead lab rat."

Yuna shook her head and called out, "What about Dokuro? What did she do to her?" Calabrese sighed and said, "The same thing that I went through, a rigorous interrogation. Patterson was digging at Dokuro's thoughts so much that she finally broke and fried every system in the room. She went through a lot, but the last I saw her was when I brought her back to SPARTAN-69." Shepard then added, "Patterson got what she wanted, but it was a fake. So as of right now, and hopefully for the rest of your life, you're in the clear. Still, you're playing with fire by working for ONI but I suppose Halsey knows what she's doing." "Here's hoping that we're right." Calabrese mumbled.

* * *

"Exiting Slip Space in five seconds Commander." An Elite called out from the bridge of a Cruiser. The commanding Elite Zealot sat in his drop pod. He made a smile on his split jaw and simply waited. He could feel himself shifting in the pod as the ship decelerated. He opened his team COM and said, "My brother's we are going to get back what is rightfully ours. Take no prisoners on their ground, eliminate anyone who stands in your path!"

From within his pod, he could tell the ship was positioning itself over their target. He then continued, "Remember, once we are within their stronghold, move silent and swift. Our prize will no doubt be kept within the most secure area. Search any system that you find to target where our prize is being kept. We will restore our honor with the Hierarch's."

He then heard, "Strike team! Prepare for deployment!" He then felt his pod rapidly begin to accelerate as it was jettisoned towards the surface.

* * *

Something caught Yuna's eye. She turned away from the two troopers and took notice of the Theta's. All of the Theta's that had been relaxing and laying on the floor of the hanger and resting, suddenly raised their heads as if they had heard something. She then heard the UNSC radio that had been set up in the hanger that was giving off troop transmissions suddenly fill with static. Calabrese and Shepard then stopped and listened. "What the hell?" One of the other ODST's called out.

From across the hanger, the three heard the voice of the green horn ODST. Private Phil Gowen. Yuna hadn't seen him since they first went down into the pit. With all the chaos when they left, she never realized that he had been part of the group that had survived. Gowen rushed over to Shepard and said, "Sir, we're getting multiple reports of distortion coming from high orbit." "Is it ours?" Shepard asked. Gown shook his head, "Not sure yet, Sir. They just started coming in."

Over the radio, Yuna began to hear incoming messages from UNSC ships in high orbit. "Attention all UNSC forces in the Luna system. Slip space ruptures are being detected around the entire perimeter of Aurora, I repeat, slip space ruptures are being detected around the entire perimeter of Aurora." That transmission was immediately overlapped by another emergency communication of, "Covenant forces detected in high orbit!" And again by another, "Covenant reinforcements inbound, begin defensive maneuvers."

Soon the radio was overrun by the chaos of multiple warnings coming from UNSC ships in high orbit. "Dammit!" Calabrese called out, "Not now! We just got the last few ships contained!" Thatius then began to let out a deep, low grow as he focused his neon green eyes at the aurora filled sky overhead. He could see the sky began to warp and distort and saw flickers of static fill several locations above the city.

Yuna stood and locked her eyes on the sky above the city. She knew what was happening, but she didn't want to believe it. She slowly shook her head and uttered out, "Oh no… no, no, no…" A bright flash filled the sky as a Covenant Cruiser appeared out of its slip space rupture. Yuna and the other ODST's watched with horror as another Covenant fleet appeared above the city.

She practically had to force herself to move and alert the base. She quickly forced herself out of her trance and quickly pulled out her PDA and contacted the bases A.I., Victoria. She frantically called out, "Victoria, you need to get the entire base into full combat alert! Covenant reinforcements are inbound, I repeat, Covenant reinforcements are inbound!" Yuna heard Victoria reply in her proper voice, "At once, Ma'am."

Almost instantly, the bases alarms began to scream and UNSC troops scrambled to ready for combat. Yuna watched as more Covenant ships appeared, it was a large mix of Destroyers and Cruisers. She quickly estimated about 25 ships in her sight; however, she was unaware if anymore had appeared in high orbit.

From behind, she heard a loud roar. Yuna quickly turned and saw Thatius quickly approach her and kneel down. He motioned his head as if to tell Yuna to get on. She quickly ran over to the Theta and hopped on it's back and tightly gripped onto its jet black scales. She then looked over to Calabrese and Shepard and called out, "I have to get back to Command. I want each of you to mount a Theta and stand guard. They will listen to your commands, just treat them with the respect they want and they will continue to fight along side you!" "Yes Ma'am!" Calabrese called back as he pulled his Battle Rifle off of his back and headed towards one of the Theta's.

Shepard then turned to the rest of his troops and called out, "You heard her! Mount up! All of you!" The other ODST's scrambled and quickly got their helmets back on and stocked up on ammo. As they all went to mount up on the Theta's, Shepard called out, "Don't be shy! They won't bite!"

Yuna then looked at the Troopers and called out, "Spread out and guard the outer parameter of the outpost, if you see any Covenant troops approaching, stop them before they have a chance to react. The Theta's will do a majority of the work but please assist them as much as you can." "Yes Ma'am!" They all called out. Yuna nodded and kicked her heels into the side of Thatius' neck and he started to move.

As the creature began to move, Yuna softly said to him, "Are you able to fight after being wounded?" As the Theta ran, he gave a grunted growl as if to tell her he was ready for anything. Yuna nodded and said, "Alright, once you drop me off, I want you to patrol the grounds of the base, we can't let the Covenant reach Izumi. The Theta again nodded. Yuna patted his scales and said back, "Thank you."

Up ahead, Yuna could see Jimmy rush outside. He was holding his helmet in his hand and he looked over to see her approaching him. She could see him waving her down. "Go to 76." Yuna instructed. The Theta obeyed and went as quickly as it could to the Spartan.

Jimmy hadn't seen the Theta's before in person; he was only briefed on them. Seeing one in person, charging at him for the first time wasn't the most comforting feeling. He even felt himself reaching around his back for his Battle Rifle but stopped when he saw Yuna riding on it's back. He watched as the Theta slid to a stop with sparks spraying from under its massive, razor sharp talons. "Jesus!" Jimmy called out, "Don't you girls usually have cats as pets?" Yuna scoffed and said, "Hey, Thatius is Devon's guard dog! I'm just borrowing him!" "Thatius?" Jimmy called out. "He named him, not me!" Jimmy looked at the creature and cautiously approached. "It's alright," Yuna told him, "He won't attack you. He knows who to fight for and who to attack."

Jimmy walked up to the Theta and said, "That's an interesting feature, does it come with cup holders too?" Yuna grinned and said, "No, but he has really huge teeth!" From up above, the two heard another loud boom as another Covenant ship emerged from its slip space rupture. Yuna gasped and looked up at the ship. She then turned back to Jimmy and scowled and shouted, "God dammit you're distracting, Jimmy! Don't you realize what's happening right now?" Jimmy held his arm's out and snapped back, "Hey! You're the one who charged up to me riding your big black death machine, I'm the victim here!" Yuna shook her head and said back, "We need to get every soldier we have on station, right now!"

"No! We need to evacuate, right now!" Jimmy called out. Yuna looked up at the line of Covenant ships that were spreading over the city. One of the Cruisers was making it's way from the main fleet and heading towards the base. "Where are we going to evacuate to, Jimmy?" Yuna replied sharply. "We're stuck here until our ships can clear the area!" The Spartan held his arms out and yelled back, "I don't know! Somewhere that doesn't involve a fleet of ships that are trying to kill us!"

The Theta that Yuna was sitting on hunched itself back in a defensive position as it looked towards the fleet of oncoming ships. It made a deep growl and raised it's razor sharp spines. Yuna pat the Theta on his head and said, "Steady…" She then looked at Jimmy and called out, "You're the Spartan here; shouldn't you be the one that's over eager to charge headfirst into battle?" Jimmy held his arm out and pointed at the ship that was nearly on top of them and called out, "Yeah! But not when I have a gun that big pointed directly at my face!"

From up above, the two saw a flash. Instantly, Yuna thought it was plasma fire but focused on the light source. It looked like small missiles had been shot from the ship and was heading towards them. No, those weren't missiles. Yuna followed the streaks of light through the sky and watched as they drastically changed course and were now heading right for her and Jimmy's location. Her eyes widened and she yelled, "Look out!" Her Theta quickly leapt from the danger and Jimmy quickly jumped out of the way.

There was a loud scream; almost like mortar fire, that shrieked through the air followed by the sound of a loud impact. Yuna held her arms in front of her face to protect herself from the blast. She then looked to see a crater that had been blown into the ground that was spewing out debris and a shower of sparks. She then looked over and saw Jimmy's jet black helmet rolling across the pavement. She was relieved to find the Spartan on the ground with his arms coving his head and then watched as he quickly got to his feet. "What the hell was that?" Jimmy called out.

From his helmet, his A.I., Adrine appeared, projected at her actual human height. She immediately called out, "Covenant Drill Pods are being deployed into Outpost Bravo! We need to get every soldier in the base ready for combat, right now!" Around the base, more ear piercing mortar screams tore through the air as additional Drill Pods plowed into the surface and dug their way down inside the lower area's of the base. Yuna's eye's widened as she called out, "We need to get to Izumi!"

Yuna then hopped off of Thatius and quickly turned to him and said, "Go join up with the others, keep on guard, I'll be fine." The Theta made a roar and nodded its head as it quickly leapt off to rejoin its brothers. Yuna then rushed up to Jimmy and said, "I'm going back inside, I have to get to Izumi!"

"What?" Jimmy called out as he picked his helmet up off the ground, "Are you insane? The Covenant are deploying inside the base on who knows how many different levels; how is getting to Izumi going to help us?" Yuna shot back, "Because Izumi is what the Covenant are going to be after, she was already their prisoner once, they won't accept the fact that she got away. I'm getting her, and Anna and we're going to Command, it's the only place where we can have total protection and where we can know the Covenant's every movement."

"And you just plan to walk in there on your own; UNARMORED I might add, and avoid all the Covenant that are being deployed?" Yuna turned to Jimmy and cocked her hips sassily and said with a grin, "Of course not, you're my escort, remember?" Adrine reappeared and said, "She has a point, you know." Jimmy frowned and put his helmet back on and hid his frustration behind his black visor. "God dammit…" He uttered.

Yuna then walked up to Jimmy and pulled an SMG off of his leg plate, "Thank you." She said as she flipped the safety off. "Go ahead, you can use it… thanks for asking…" Jimmy told her. Yuna then patted her hand off of the plated belt of Jimmy's jet black armor and said, "You take point, I'll tell you where to go." Jimmy raised an eyebrow and said, "A second ago you were ready to charge in guns blazing, what happened to that?" "Nothing." Yuna replied with a smile, "I just have someone big and bulky to stand behind now."

"You know I don't like escort missions." Jimmy uttered. Yuna said back with playful sarcasm, "I know, but you've been doing a great job so far babysitting me and the other girls, don't give up now!" Adrine then spoke up and said, "That and she also outranks you… by a lot!" Jimmy paused and then started to move. "Just shut up and stay behind me… Ma'am."


	53. DEFIANCE

Reader Discretion! -This chapter includes scenes of excessive violence and torture. If this bothers you, don't read it and complain about it to me later. Thank you!

Also: I'll be in Europe for 2 weeks so there is going to be a delay in chapter 54. I'll start work on it as soon as I get back.

* * *

(CHAPTER 53) DEFIANCE

The halls of the dungeon were silent, only echoed with the faint sound of water dripping and by a haunting wind that echoed through the stone halls. Illuminated by a fain green light; coming from a hanging wall torch, was a puddle that had pooled on the damp, stone floor. Out of the silence, a tiny boot splashed down into the puddle, spraying water and distorting the reflected light.

Kobalt was running. With her Scythe gripped tightly behind her back, she ran with an almost demented grin as she looked for targets. She didn't care how many stood ahead of her, or how powerful they were. As of right now, Kobalt felt unstoppable.

Up ahead, she could see a faint green light around one of the dark corners. Her brows angled down and she readied her Scythe. She watched as two of the soldier like figures appeared and took aim with their holographic Battle Rifles. Before they even had a chance to put pressure on their triggers, they heard a loud slice and felt their coding cease. Kobalt quickly bisected the two and watched their green holographic blood spray onto the walls and onto her blouse. She only grinned and continued running.

Further down the stone corridor, she could see a flight of stone stairs and a large wooden door at the top with light coming through the wrought iron bars that substituted for a window. Good, she had found her way out of the dungeon. She quickly leapt up the stairs and bashed the hilt of her Scythe against the door and watched as the wood splintered. She quickly stepped out into a hall that was decorated in elegant carpets and ornate furniture's. It was a dramatic change from a dark, damp dungeon to such a lovely castle setting. Kobalt quickly looked around and could see a large room at the opposite end of the hall that was to her right. She again grinned slyly and sprinted off.

She ran past decorative pieces of furniture that would adorn a castle, along with frame after frame of artwork; each with a different painting depicting Mitsuki or Kalder. Still with a grin on her face, her eye's darted back and forth as she examined the paintings. Were she not in her Emergency Defensive mode, she would have found all the art somewhat disturbing, but right now, she could care less.

She quickly arrived at the large room and she slid to a halt. She stood proper and twirled her Scythe rapidly in her hand and then brought it to a sudden halt upside down behind her legs. Kobalt quickly scanned the room and noticed a curved grand staircase that led higher up in the castle.

Kobalt paused as she felt the world distort around her and then watched as more of the faceless soldiers appeared in the room. They all had raised weapons and all were aiming directly at her. Kobalt made a playful grin and then said with sass, "You aren't very smart, are yah?" She then leapt into the air as the sound of gunfire erupted. She then brought her Scythe down and rapidly began to tear through her enemies.

* * *

Rain continued to pour down over one of the balconies on the castle tower. It was dark and water splashed over the ancient stone structure. A crack of thunder rumbled through the land followed by the sound of metal piercing into the stone walls. Dokuro groaned as she forced herself to complete her climb and pulled herself over the ornate stone railing on the balcony. She pulled her weight over the wall and then flopped down on her back on the wet stone floor of the balcony. She was tired and sore and she was soaked to the bone from the constant downpour of rain.

She lay on her back starring up at the sky as rain continued to pour down over her tattered and torn uniform. Her red uniform coat was ruined, and her skirt and thigh high stockings were covered in tears. Still most frustrating of all to her was the fact that her Halo was gone.

"Get up. You need to keep moving." She could hear Mitsuki's voice saying from within her mind. Her body screamed to stay motionless so that she could recover, but she couldn't. Dokuro weakly sat up and forced herself to stand. She let out a whimper as she got her balance and tried to shake off the pain. "Go to the ball room." She again heard Mitsuki's voice say. Dokuro frowned and summoned her remaining strength. She then asked, "What will she have standing between me and her?" There was a pause before she heard the voice say back, "She will be well guarded."

* * *

The sound of metal tearing through flesh rang through the room as Kobalt swung her Scythe through the last of Mitsuki's guardians. She again stood motionless as she lowered her Scythe behind her legs and surveyed the room. She picked up no movement. Just as well, had she picked up anything else, it wouldn't live longer than a few seconds. Her outfit was covered with patches of her enemies green blood and patches of her white and blue hair were now stained green. None of it phased her. She had a job to do.

Quick as lightning, Kobalt leapt up into the air and landed herself halfway up the curved, grand stair case and then quickly sprinted off down another ornately decorated hallway. As she ran, she could see a large door ahead of her; she could also pick up a large amount of energy on the other side. She grinned and ran faster without even so much as breaking a sweat or giving out an exerted breath.

Up ahead she detected movement. With a sly grin, she readied her Scythe. From around two corners, she watched as two of Mitsuki's guardians appeared. These ones were in the form of ODST's and appeared to be stronger then the others. She didn't back down. She increased her speed and ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her towards the two enemies. She watched as they raised their Battle Rifles and took aim. As they both simultaneously fired, Kobalt leapt into the air. It felt like slow motion. She vaulted herself high above the two and did a mid air back flip with her Scythe at the ready.

With her tiny body directly over the two, she quickly gripped onto her Scythe's hilt with both hands and rapidly swung it with the blade passing through the neck line of the two guardians. The room fell silent and all that could be heard was the sound of metal tearing through flesh. She then landed on the ground in an almost cat like pose with both legs spread and her body low to the floor with her free hand holding her up with her Scythe kept still as stone over her. She then heard the sound of two heads falling to the floor along with the muffled thump of their bodies following suit.

With her eyes closed, Kobalt grinned and made a muffled giggle to herself. "To easy." She boasted. Again, quick as lightning, Kobalt dashed down the hall towards the large door. She watched as it got closer.

The door was black with neon green trim that was beautifully laid out in stunning designs that surrounded stained glass windows. She could feel a large enemy presence on the other side of this door. She didn't care; right now, all of the guardians were only being recognized to her as minor annoyances that were standing in her way. With her chest puffed out, Kobalt confidently walked up to the door and held her hand out. Her tiny hand began to pulse with an icy blue light and her eyes began to glow. She quickly hacked through the doors lock and watched as it swung open.

As soon as the door opened, she heard the sound of beautifully orchestrated, classical music being played. She could recognize the music as classic symphonies. She opened her eyes and saw as she was staring down an entire grand ball room packed with Mitsuki's guardians. They didn't move, they only stood motionless and looked at her. Kobalt held her composure as she elegantly walked into the room with her blood stained outfit and hair. Over the sound of the symphonic music, she could hear her tiny boots tapping off of the tiled floor as she walked. She kept an elegant swish to her step as she daintily held onto her Scythe inverted and behind her back.

Ahead, she could see a large window that had been shattered. Something caught her eye. On one of the jagged pieces of glass that remained, she could see a stray piece of red fabric, the same color that Dokuro wore. It became apparent to her that Dokuro might be in danger, however, with the large number of enemies around, and herself in her Emergency Defensive mode, she was unable to react properly to it. She reached the center of the room and paused. None of the guardians moved. She then slowly looked to her left and then to her right and rapidly twirled her Scythe in her hand. The sound of her massive weapon twirling overpowered the music that played and echoed off of the walls.

With a sly grin she slammed the hilt of her Scythe onto the floor with a loud clang. She then said playfully, "Shall we dance?" Instantly, Kobalt leapt into the air with her Scythe's blade drawn and ready for the attack. Below, the guardians raised their weapons and opened fire. Kobalt held her legs together and kept her arms folded tightly into her chest to make herself a small of a target as possible. She could hear the sound of EMP rounds tearing through the air past her tiny ears and could feel the wind ripple from the distortion as the rounds passed mere centimeters from her body.

She opened her eyes with a smile as she felt herself beginning to fall back towards the floor. She readied her Scythe as she chose a target. One of the lower ranked soldiers stood below her. When she was in reach, she kicked her tiny boot onto the guardians back and watched as it went off balance and began to fall forward. With rapid speed, she twirled her Scythe's blade around and put it between the floor and the guardians throat. In what felt like slow motion, she watched as the soldier fell forward. She then forcefully kicked down on its back with her boot and pulled up on her Scythe's blade. The move resulted in an instant decapitation.

Kobalt quickly looked up and saw a large number of guardians readying to jump her. She took in a sharp breath and sprang back to her fighting stance and again rapidly began to swing and slash her Scythe at her enemies. To them, she looked like an icy blue blur as she tore her way through the room; her visible path only being seen by the spray of neon green blood that plumed into the air from her fallen enemies.

* * *

Dokuro was running as fast as she could, ignoring the pain that tore through her damaged body. She was slowly managing to begin repairing herself but there was only so much that she could do while under a situation as stressful as this. Her repairs would be bare minimums. That didn't stop her. She was determined to find Kobalt and stop Mitsuki before she caused anymore damage.

"Do you have a plan?" Mitsuki's voice echoed through her mind. Dokuro replied back sharply, "I'm going to find that Covenant A.I., and I'm going to kill it. Mitsuki needs to understand that she's been corrupted. I'm not about to let my sister fall into Covenant hands." "And what of the little one?" Mitsuki's voice again asked. Dokuro paused and continued, "I'm going to find her and get her out of here."

* * *

In her mind, she knew that this couldn't last forever. However, it felt like that was the case. Kobalt was still fighting at the seemingly endless hoard of Mitsuki's guardian's. They came at her from every direction and it seemed that for every one she killed, it was replaced by five more. Even with her defensive systems at their max, she only had so much energy. She couldn't keep this up forever and even in her unstable state, she could tell that she was wearing down.

Never was that more apparent to her than when she felt two hard hits slam into her back. She yelled out and felt herself stumble. The young A.I. quickly regained her footing and spun on her heel. She turned to see one of the lower ranked soldiers with a raised Battle Rifle. She had been shot in the back and she could feel herself bleeding. She ignored it and quickly charged at her attacker and swiftly brought it down with a swift slash of her Scythe. As it fell to the ground she felt a group of them jump her and try to bring her down. Even with her defensive systems she was beginning to loose control from the extended use and overpower, and she felt herself starting to panic.

It was only a matter of time before she was totally overrun. She then felt something impact directly onto her forehead. Her vision blurred and she felt stunned. She could feel herself falling back onto the ground and she felt her head impact off of the hard floor. Kobalt knew that had hurt but she couldn't react to it. She lay with the room spinning and the sight of the shadowy guardians looming over her. She felt a warm line of blood begin to flow from where she had been hit in the forehead by what she could only assume was the butt of a weapon. Her blood ran past her eyes and over her delicate cheeks as she lay motionless.

One thing she could still grasp was the fact that her Scythe was still in her grip. She squeezed it's hilt with her tiny hand and readied to retaliate; however, as her vision cleared, she saw that she was now entirely surrounded. She saw multiple guns pointed directly at her head and all ready to fire. Even if she would start another attack she wouldn't be able to get out of the way of the weapons before they discharged. She stood with her sleek brows angled down with frustration and worry as she tried to calculate any possible escape, but she couldn't find any. With a whimper she simply closed her eyes and hoped that they wouldn't shoot.

From across the room, Kobalt heard a commanding voice call out, "Enough!" Kobalt opened her eyes and watched as the guardians instantly backed away and stood at attention. Kobalt then slowly sat up and felt as more of her blood trickled down from her forehead and drip off of her chin. She couldn't believe her eyes. She saw her, for the very first time. She saw Mitsuki. Standing in her royal attire and with her long neon green hair flowing around her curvy figure, crowned with a black halo that pulsed with green light which looked very similar to Dokuro's. Kobalt forced herself to stand. To her, Mitsuki looked beautiful, even prettier than her older sister, Dokuro. She was thrilled and was eager to meet her.

"Big Sister!" Kobalt chirped. She weakly got to her feet and found her balance as her blood continued to drip over her face. Still in her defensive mode, she slowly began to walk forward with a sly smile on her face. "We were looking everywhere for you!"

Mitsuki stood with an emotionless glare. She slowly raised an eyebrow as she watched this small child that was covered in the blood of her guardians as well as her own approach her. She couldn't understand how or why this child was so eager to see her. Kobalt slowly approached with a slight limp in her step, obvious damage she had sustained while fighting. She then slowly held her arms out as if she were readying to embrace when the two met.

Mitsuki watched as Kobalt's figure pulsed with energy. Still not changing her facial expression, Mitsuki simply crossed her arms. She could tell that Kobalt had her defenses pumped to their limit and the sign of her figure beginning to pulse was showing that she was nearing her limit. As Kobalt came closer, she continued in her tiny voice, "I can't believe it's really you! Dokuro and I have been so worried about you since we got here. This place is very scary, won't you please come with me to find Dokuro so that we can leave?"

Kobalt's tiny fingers were within inches of touching Mitsuki. She felt something. Mitsuki's hologram let out its own pulse of power, this one however was a mini EMP. Kobalt felt herself being launched into the air and then she crashed down hard onto the tiled floor. Her body rag dolled and she let out a grunt of pain as she tumbled across the floor. She slid to a halt and her hologram fuzzed slightly. With a whimper, she pushed her arms against the floor and forced her upper body to sit up. She sat still for a moment, not understanding why Mitsuki had done that to her.

She again shakily forced herself to stand and wobbled to her feet. She looked up and refocused her vision and saw a wall of the dark guardians with their gaze locked directly at her. Even through her Emergency Defensive systems, Kobalt began to feel pain. It was a warning sign of her defensive systems began to fail. Still, she didn't care about the pain, she was thrilled that she had completed a major objective for her very first assignment. She even began to imagine Eric praising her for a job well done; oh how she wanted to be praised for her first mission.

She again began to walk towards Mitsuki. She smiled as she again slowly limped her way over with her blood now seeping into her bright heterochromic eyes and clouding her vision. She could now feel the sting of the blood in her eyes but she didn't react to it. She simply said in a calm and childish voice, "Big Sister, did I do something wrong to make you mad? I didn't mean to upset you."

Outside, the storm intensified. Lighting crashed and thunder shook the large panoramic windows while the rain beat down in thick curtains. Mitsuki watched as lightning illuminated Kobalt's face as she again tried to approach her. Kobalt continued, "Don't you want to go look for Dokuro? I know that she was in this room once before, I saw a piece of her uniform on the broken glass, she must have accidentally brushed against it and torn her coat. Devon will be upset when he see's what has happened to his A.I.'s uniform." Kobalt's eyes suddenly widened. "That reminds me!" She chirped as she once again neared Mitsuki. "Kalder will be anxious to see you too." Mitsuki's eye's instantly widened as Kobalt continued, "He's been worried sick about you since we arrived, I can't wait to inform Eric that I found you so that he can tell Kalder, he'll be so happy!"

Mitsuki's eyes instantly shone bright neon green and her body surrounded itself with energy. "Lies!" She shouted causing Kobalt to flinch and cower where she stood. "Big Sister…" Kobalt uttered, "You're scaring me…" Mitsuki grinned her teeth angrily and shouted, "You are trying to deceive me! Kalder has never left!" Beside Mitsuki, a light flashed as the Covenant A.I. appeared next to her as Kalder's hologram. "You are a fool; the same as Dokuro! You are only here to try and take what is rightfully mine!"

Kobalt's eyes widened in shock and her emergency systems screamed in her mind. The presence of a Covenant A.I. sent her brand new defensive systems into an immediate retaliation to stop this threat before it could do damage. It was one of her main protection features as a 5th Gen A.I. Kobalt instantly summoned her Scythe and called out, "Big Sister move! It's a Covenant A.I.!" Kobalt then sprinted forward ready to fight. With her Scythe drawn she ran full tilt and readied to attack the Covenant system. She quickly leapt into the air with her Scythe drawn as she readied to bring it town on the Covenant A.I.

She felt something. While in mid air, she felt something grab onto her throat and stop her motionless. Her body again rag dolled into place as she dropped her Scythe and grabbed at her throat trying to free herself from whatever it was that was choking her. As she frantically kicked her feet and struggled for breath, she saw Mitsuki slowly walk over to her with her hand held up towards Kobalt's throat. With Mitsuki's eyes glowing green and narrowed down angrily she called out, "You come uninvited into my castle, murder my guards, and try to assassinate my King! You will not live to take your next breath!"

"Why?" Kobalt thought. "Why am I being punished for finding you, Big Sister? What have I done wrong? You are in danger, I was only trying to help." Kobalt's processes ran wild as she tried to understand why not just a UNSC A.I. had betrayed her, but why her Sister had betrayed her. She could see Mitsuki summon her Ring Blade.

With Kobalt being held up in the air by her throat, Mitsuki began to rapidly twirl her Ring Blade on her arm as she slowly approached the child. "You love Dokuro so much? Now you can join her in death!" Her Ring Blade spun so rapidly on her wrist, it looked like nothing more than a green blur. Kobalt watched as the blade got closer and closer to her. She noticed something, with Mitsuki clutching onto her throat, she had a direct link into her, she forced herself to do a rapid scan and instantly she picked up high traces of Covenant information within Mitsuki.

Again, Kobalt's defensive systems forced themselves to max out and she let out an ear deafening scream. Instantly, every window in the grand ball room was blown out from the massive outburst of Kobalt's energy. Kobalt began to pulse and her Scythe was summoned back into her hands. Kobalt quickly forced her arms back and then rapidly slashed her large Scythe at Mitsuki. Mitsuki let out a gasp as she felt the hard collision of Kobalt's Scythe against her ring blade. A loud metallic clang echoed through the room as the weapons collided, sending off Mitsuki's concentration.

Kobalt felt the grip disappear from around her throat and she quickly fell to the floor and landed on her feet. She rapidly twirled her Scythe in her hand and held it out towards Mitsuki. Instantly, the Covenant A.I. readied to attack but stopped as it felt Mitsuki's hand rest on its chest plate. "No!" She called out, "I'll stop her myself!" Mitsuki then gripped her Ring Blade and began walking towards Kobalt. "Your end is now!" She yelled. Kobalt frowned and let out a loud yell as she charged forward at Mitsuki with her Scythe drawn.

* * *

"Elevated energy levels detected." Dokuro heard Mitsuki's memory fragment call out with worry. Dokuro continued running and replied, "I know, I can feel it to." This was unlike anything Dokuro had felt since she arrived here. The feeling was similar to that of right before Mitsuki had attacked her. Mitsuki's fragment again called out, "This isn't good. My true form has engaged in a large scale battle. Her power output levels are incredible!"

Up ahead, she saw objects scattered on the castle floor. As she ran closer to them she instantly saw that they were bodies. All were lying dead and all were cleanly cut in two. Evidence of a large blade. Instantly, Kobalt's Scythe flashed into Dokuro's vision. She gasped and said, "Kobalt is in danger! You have to get me to her location as fast as you can!" She heard Mitsuki's voice say, "Take the flight of stairs that will be coming up to our location. It will lead you to an overhanging balcony in the grand ball room. You're going to want the high ground for this battle." Dokuro nodded and continued running.

* * *

Mitsuki yelled out angrily as she rapidly swung her Ring Blade at Kobalt. A loud clang resonated through the room as the two weapons collided. Kobalt rapidly spun on her foot and attempted to land a devastating slash on Mitsuki. Mitsuki frowned as she saw the attack coming. She quickly brought up her Ring Blade and stopped the blow before it could hit. She frowned. She couldn't believe how strong this child was, even for her young age, she felt even stronger than Dokuro and even herself. Still, she wouldn't let that fact stop her.

Mitsuki rapidly spun her Ring Blade on her wrist and lunged herself forward and attempted to land her own attack. Kobalt to saw the attack coming and quickly grabbed the hilt of her Scythe with both of her hands and stopped the Ring Blade cold. Mitsuki yelled out as she brought up her finely laced, elegant heeled boot and kicked Kobalt in her torso. Kobalt let out a yelp of pain and she bucked over. She then sensed Mitsuki readying to attack. She quickly leapt out of the way and rolled across the ornately tiled floor as Mitsuki tried to bring her Ring Blade down onto Kobalt's back.

Kobalt quickly got to her feet and again held her Scythe out, "You are not the Big Sister I thought you would be! You are evil, and a betrayer! The UNSC will terminate you for treason!" Mitsuki again rapidly twirled her Ring Blade on her arm and laughed. She replied with sinister sass, "And you are blind! Your blood will spill all over this room as Dokuro's has!" Kobalt frowned angrily as she again charged towards Mitsuki, yelling out loudly as she sprinted. Mitsuki readied to block the hit. Kobalt quickly acted as though she were about to jump which threw Mitsuki off guard. She then saw her chance and slid across the floor and behind Mitsuki's back.

Even before Mitsuki had a chance to react, Kobalt rapidly swung the blade of her Scythe. Mitsuki quickly realized her situation and tried to dodge. She began to move but wasn't quick enough. She felt the cold steel of Mitsuki's Scythe slice across her back. Mitsuki's eyes widened and she yelled out in pain. Kobalt quickly rolled onto her feet and turned to see that she had managed to cut a large gash into Mitsuki's back, tearing through the fabric of her royal attire.

Mitsuki quickly spun on her heel and acted as though it had barely phased her. She yelled out and readied a hard swing with her Ring Blade. Kobalt's eyes widened on her blood stained face. She saw the attack coming and realized that she didn't have time to react to it. She quickly gripped onto the hilt of her Scythe and attempted to block. She felt Mitsuki bring her Ring Blade down hard onto the hilt of her weapon. Kobalt could feel the impact shoot down her tiny arms and into her body.

Mitsuki pressed down on her blade as hard as she could, hoping that Kobalt's strength would fade. "Your time has come!" Mitsuki spat angrily. Kobalt frowned and yelled out as she forced herself to let out an EMP burst, sending Mitsuki flying from on top of her.

Kobalt watched as Mitsuki was sent flying into the air then watched as she fell hard onto the floor. Mitsuki sat in a daze trying to make herself stand. Kobalt too forced herself to her feet and then limped over to Mitsuki. She tightly gripped the hilt of her Scythe and readied to land a final blow when she heard Mitsuki whimper. Kobalt paused and stood motionless. Mitsuki didn't retaliate. She simply lay on the floor of her grand ball room, trying to force herself to stand. Slowly, Kobalt lowered her Scythe and walked towards her.

"Big Sister?" She asked calmly, "Have I hurt you?" She heard no reply. With hesitation, Kobalt again continued to approach her. Mitsuki sat facing away from her and out of Kobalt's sight, she held her hand out and summoned a small throwing dagger. Making sure to hide it from sight, she sat motionless until she heard Kobalt only a few feet behind her. Mitsuki let out a ragged breath and uttered out, "…Kobalt." Kobalt froze in place and replied calmly, "Big Sister?"

Mitsuki made an evil grin and said coldly, "You're a fool." Before Kobalt could react, Mitsuki quickly turned her torso and launched her throwing dagger from her hand and watched as it imbedded itself into Kobalt's shin. Kobalt's bright white and blue eyes widened as she felt the weapon stab into her. In shock her Scythe fell from her grip and she doubled over and fell to the floor and grabbed at her leg as she cried out in pain.

Mitsuki got back to her feet, healed the wound on her back, and slowly approached her. With tears streaming down her face, Kobalt grabbed at the small throwing dagger and forcefully pulled it from her leg. She yelled out as the tore it free and let it fall to the floor beside her. She then frantically tried to reach for her Scythe but froze when she saw Mitsuki's heeled boot kick it from her reach.

With a twisted laugh, Mitsuki looked down at Kobalt and yelled, "Look at you! So easily manipulated and so easily conquered! To think that someone like you was able to last as long as you did." Kobalt didn't reply. With her eyes slammed shut, she lay on her side and held her hands over her wounded leg as she let small whimpers escape her mouth. "Your blood spilled so easily, I will enjoy every last second of watching the rest flow from your body."

Kobalt felt her Emergency Defensive System's beginning to fail. They had been at full power for so long and they were nearing their limit. Kobalt forced herself to sit up. She opened her eyes and tried to put on the bravest face that she could manage. Grinning her teeth to try and hide her pain, she stumbled out the words, "I'm not scared of you! This doesn't hurt at all." Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and said back coldly, "Oh really?" She then brought her heeled boot down onto Kobalt, causing the small A.I. to fall face first onto the hard floor. Mitsuki's hand began to glow a bright neon green; she then aimed it at Kobalt's back and fired a beam of energy at her. Kobalt yelled out as she felt the round strike her and she felt her defensive systems completely cease and die. "Does it hurt now?" Mitsuki questioned.

Kobalt tried to crawl away. With her defensive systems now gone, she felt all the pain from her injuries. She was now unable to move her wounded leg so walking wasn't an option. As she tried to crawl away and out of the room, she heard Mitsuki say with a sinister laughter, "Leaving so soon, Little Sister? The fun is only beginning!"

"No! Please! Leave me alone!" Kobalt pleaded. "Eric help! Please help me!" Mitsuki grinned slyly and held her hand out and again, using her untamed power, lifted Kobalt high into the air by her throat. With an almost mocking voice, Mitsuki said, "Crying out for your Spartan already? But we've just started your punishment!" Kobalt cried with fear as she watched as Mitsuki held her high in the air. She again frantically tried to grip at the invisible force that was choking tightly onto her throat.

She watched as Mitsuki raised up her other hand and Kobalt began to feel the room shake. As thunder crashed right outside the castle walls, Mitsuki summoned a large, gothic style cross at the front and center of the large grand ball room. Still with a look of anger, Mitsuki forced Kobalt back hard against the cross. Kobalt gasped out from the hard hit on her back as she again struggled to get free.

"Ah ah ah, none of that." Mitsuki said slyly, "You wouldn't want to miss all the fun that we're about to have, now would you?" Mitsuki then forced Kobalt's feet to overlap and forced her arms out in a T shape. As Kobalt let out rapid sharp breaths of fear, Mitsuki held her free hand out and forced three, large, wrought iron nails out of the walls. Kobalt saw what was happening and her processes went wild with fear as she frantically tried to find any way out of this. As much as she wanted that answer, she couldn't find it. Mitsuki was still to powerful and she was to damaged to attempt to free herself.

Mitsuki raised the three, long nails up towards Kobalt's face to make sure that she could see them. As the three nails hovered right in front of her, she let out frantic cries of fear. "Please don't!" Kobalt pleaded, "I've done nothing wrong! I was only trying to help you!" Instantly, one of the nails rapidly moved and forced itself through Kobalt's left wrist, piercing through her detached sleeves, her arm, and finally into the cross. Kobalt let out a loud yell of pain and she openly cried.

"Trying to help?" Mitsuki yelled. "I needed no help! My world here is perfect! It is you, and Dokuro that are trying to steal all of this from me! You are against me! All of you! And now I'll see to it that you, the Covenant, and the UNSC pay for what you have done!" "It's you that's doing all of it!" Kobalt frantically cried out, "All of this is your doing, and you betray all those who try to help you!"

Anger filled Mitsuki. She grinned her teeth and yelled out, "Silence!" As she forced the second nail through Kobalt's other wrist. Again, Kobalt cried out in agony as she felt the wrought iron nail pierce its way through her. She let out a loud sob as she again tried to find some way to free herself and escape. In a panic she openly wailed out, "Eric please! Please save me! I can't do this! I don't want to do this anymore!" Her sobs openly echoed throughout the room, easily dominating over the sound of the heavy rain and thunder.

"No one is coming to save you my Little Sister! You are in my world now! It's just you, me, and your sweet, slow death." Mitsuki then took the third nail and positioned it at Kobalt's feet. "Through her rapid breaths of fear and sobs, she again pleaded, "No! No more! I don't want it to hurt again!" Mitsuki let out a laugh as she mockingly continued, "You don't want it to hurt? My dear, how would it be punishment if it didn't hurt?" Mitsuki then made the nail slowly pierce it's way in through Kobalt's tiny boot.

Kobalt's fear spiked, she felt the pressure from the nail slowly turn into pain as it slowly pierced in through her boot and began to tear into her flesh. She again instantly yelled out from the pain and openly cried out for rescue. It was pure torture as she felt the rough surface of the nail tear out of the bottom of her foot and again pass through her second boot and agonized as the process repeated.

The young A.I. openly cried out from the pain as she felt nothing but hopelessness and fear fill her. Dokuro was gone, and her Spartan didn't even know that she was in trouble. Out of fear and the want for her protector, she openly cried out, "Eric please! Please save me!" Mitsuki stood with no expression on her face. She then slowly made herself levitate directly in front of Kobalt. With her blood and tear stained face, Kobalt shakily looked up at Mitsuki as her tears openly flowed. "You think that Eric will save you? Your Spartan is powerless against me! And even were he to attempt a rescue, Kalder would stop him."

Through her pain ridden breaths, Kobalt yelled out, "Eric will rescue me! He'll get me away from you! The one that I was once proud to call my sister! You're nothing and you're being led to your own death by a Covenant A.I.!" Mitsuki again yelled out angrily, "Enough!" She then summoned another small throwing dagger and gripped it tightly in her hand. Kobalt once again felt her fear return as she saw the blade and she again frantically began to cry out. Mitsuki then said in a low, sadistic tone, "You value Number 45 so much? Then have this as a reminder!"

Mitsuki then began to drag the razor sharp blade across Kobalt's chest. The blade cut through her blood soaked outfit and into her flesh as she yelled out with pain. She felt Mitsuki drag the blade in different directions across her skin as her cries echoed throughout the room. The torture felt like it lasted hours. Everything from the nails through her wrists, and the searing burn that came from her feet as the weight of her body was pressing down against the nail, and now the blade tearing across her chest.

When Mitsuki finally pulled the blade away, Kobalt looked down to see that she had carved a large "45" into her chest. "There is you savior." Mitsuki said with hate, "A lasting reminder that his both his, and your blood will spill before this night is over." Kobalt couldn't respond, she couldn't think. Pain seared through her feet and wrist and her chest felt like it was on fire. All she could do was cry out and hope for rescue.

Mitsuki then turned to face the room full of her guardians. She stood triumphant and called out, "Do you all see? Let this child be an example to all of you as to what will happen if you try to defy me! If you try to go against my words, death will be your fate! If you are against me, then you will also feel the pain of death!" Mitsuki stepped forward and began walking towards Kalder's hologram, "This child as well as the other who was here, both tried to defy me. They now know the harsh reality of disobeying their Queen."

Mitsuki sharply spun on her heel and looked up at Kobalt as she hung from the cross. As her cries echoed throughout the room, Mitsuki asked, "So tell me Little Sister; was it worth it? Was your defiance really the proper thing to do?" Kobalt didn't respond. She was both physically and mentally broken. Her levels of damage were to severe for her to even attempt to free herself. Mitsuki again made a sly grin and held her arms out and said to the whole room, "My loyal subjects! Tonight our reign begins!" The room then filled with the sounds of cheers and applause while Mitsuki reveled in her glory.

From behind, she heard Kalder's voice say to her, "Well done, my Queen." Mitsuki's eyes closed as she held her hands over her chest and smiled. Everything was now going perfect, her sisters who had defied her were now gone, she was free to reign above her world and spend the rest of her days with her Spartan. She turned towards her Spartan with a loving smile on her face. "Oh Kalder." She said softly.

As she turned, she saw a purple blur that seemed to leap down from one of the balconies above the grand ball rooms floor. The blur was moving so fast it took her a moment to lock onto it to realize what it was.

Dokuro sailed through the air with one of her wrist blade's drawn. She leap down onto the back of the Covenant A.I.'s shoulder's and as she landed, pierced her blade between it's helmet and back plate of it's armor. Kalder's hologram grunted out heavily in pain as the blade tore into it's spine and base of it's brain. Dokuro had stabbed directly into the A.I.'s memory core. The A.I. stumbled, fell to it's knees, and then fell flat on the floor, motionless. Dokuro then twisted her blade before pulling it out. She elegantly stepped off of it's motionless body and then faced Mitsuki.

Mitsuki screamed as the horror of watching her Spartan die filled her. "Kalder!" She cried out frantically. Dokuro looked down with no emotion on her face as she watched the Covenant A.I.'s hologram shatter and burst into tiny fragments. Still in shock, Mitsuki stood with a crazed look on her face, "Kill her!" She screamed out to her guardians. None of them moved, they all then began to warp and distort before finally dispersing into tiny fragments. Mitsuki looked around in shock as her guardians vanished, leaving her to fend for herself.

"You were never in control of them, Mitsuki! It was all lies that the Covenant used to blind you! He was using you so he could return to full power and retake control of the ship!" Mitsuki immediately summoned her Ring Blade and readied to attack. As soon as her blade appeared, Mitsuki's hologram fuzzed and distorted. Her blade suddenly vanished and Mitsuki gasped. She then looked up at Dokuro and grinned angrily and vanished. "She's on the run." Mitsuki's fragment told Dokuro. Dokuro nodded and said, "She can't run forever."

Dokuro then heard soft cries of pain coming from the opposite end of the room. She looked up and her eyes widened in shock. "Kobalt!" She frantically called out as she ran towards her. In all the chaos and commotion, Dokuro hadn't taken the time to survey the entire room, she was more worried about stopping the Covenant A.I. than seeing what else was around her.

Dokuro slid to a halt in front of the cross and looked up at Kobalt in shock. Kobalt was whimpering quietly as her power levels were slowing dieing. She was covered in blood and her breathing was erratic. "My god…" Dokuro uttered. Trying to keep herself calm, she called out, "Kobalt, listen to me! Everything is alright, I'm going to get you down." Kobalt weakly looked down and saw Dokuro. Through her pain and failing body, she forced a smile through all of her pain and uttered out, "Big Sister… I'm so happy to see you again." Kobalt paused and then continued weakly, "I messed up pretty bad, huh? Will Eric be mad at me?"

Dokuro frowned and called out as she quickly began to climb up the side of the cross. "No." She said back as calmly as she could, "Eric would never be upset at you for trying so hard." Kobalt looked over at Dokuro. She fluttered her blood and tear soaked eyes and uttered out weakly, "Do you mean it? He won't think I'm a bad girl?" Dokuro reached Kobalt's level and looked at the nails. She quickly tried to figure out what to do. Dokuro then replied, "No, he won't, but you need to stay alert for me, okay. I need you to listen to me very carefully. I need you to be as brave as you can so I can get you down." Kobalt didn't respond right away. She was finding it very difficult to breathe and her processes were getting weaker. Dokuro looked down at Kobalt's body and saw the number 45 that had been carved into her chest. She shook her head in disbelief. All she could think about was how her once quiet, and timid sister could inflict this much damage.

Dokuro carefully put her arm around Kobalt's torso while she gripped onto the cross with the other. She then said as calmly as she could, "I am sorry Kobalt, but this is going to hurt." She watched as another look of fear came over Kobalt's face while she tried to hold back her sobs. Dokuro took in a deep breath and said, "Be brave for me." She then closed her eyes and focused her thoughts. She focused on the nails holding Kobalt in place and began to pry them from the cross.

As soon as the nails began to move, Kobalt's cries of pain returned. Dokuro could feel the nails beginning to pull out. She then said, "Hang on Kobalt, just endure it a little longer. Kobalt began taking in sharp rapid breaths in between her cries of pain. Dokuro couldn't stop, she almost had to force herself to continue. She quickly focused everything she had on the nails and finally pried them loose from Kobalt's tiny body and let them fall to the floor.

Dokuro gripped tightly onto Kobalt's battered body as she went limp in her arms. Dokuro gripped tightly onto her and then jumped down to the floor. She instantly kicked the wrought iron nails away from the two and lay Kobalt down on her back with her head propped up on her knee. Instantly, Dokuro heard Mitsuki's voice say, "Her systems are failing. The amount of damage that she has endured is astonishing. The only reason that she is still alive is because of her advanced programming." Dokuro carefully wiped some of the blood and tears from Kobalt's delicate face.

Kobalt didn't speak, her eyes were closed and her breathing was sharp and irregular. She was bleeding Nano Crystaline Fluid heavily from her wrist's, feet and chest. Dokuro instantly closed her eyes and her hologram began to glow. She wasn't going to let Kobalt die. With her focus locked onto Kobalt's damage, Dokuro began to transfer her own power over to Kobalt to help repair her. She knew that doing this would drastically deplete her own power but she didn't care.

Dokuro held onto Kobalt for several minutes, not moving a muscle or saying anything. She could begin to feel her repairs taking effect. The large 45 that was carved into her chest slowly closed and healed itself, as well as the holes in her wrist's and feet. Aside from repairing as much as she could to at least get Kobalt stable, Dokuro was not able to repair the larger damage done to Kobalt's defensive systems or her other major circuitry. That was something that a UNSC Tech would have to handle.

After Dokuro managed all that she could to repair Kobalt's tiny body, her glow stopped and she allowed herself to relax. However, Dokuro instantly noticed the drastic change in her own performance. She felt significantly weaker and her processes felt sluggish. It was an obvious effect from the emergency repairs that she had to perform. "Are you able to proceed?" Mitsuki's fragment asked. Dokuro then carefully picked up Kobalt's tiny figure into her arms and stood. She felt weak, but she had to ignore it and keep moving. Dokuro nodded and said, "Where is she?" Mitsuki's fragment then replied, "She's in her throne room. Destroying the Covenant A.I. has significantly weakened her and destroyed her guardians." Dokuro frowned. "So she's running scared then." Dokuro then slowly began to walk as she cradled Kobalt in her arms. "Lead me to her."


	54. BROKEN CHINA DOLL

(CHAPTER 54) BROKEN CHINA DOLL

Kalder cautiously spread the wings of his Angle Pack and gently thrust himself back towards the Prophet's ship. He didn't want to cause a large heat flare on any of their radar's so he kept his packs thrusts to a minimum. He looked around for a place to set himself down on the ships outer skin. He switched his visor over to pick up any signs of radiation to see if the ships shields were still active. As soon as the option was brought up his HUD was filled with an optical image of the ships shielding still up and surrounding the entire superstructure.

He again looked and saw that near the ships large Plasma Turrets that the shields were still down, obviously down incase they should need to return fire. He set his destination and again carefully thrust himself forward.

* * *

Devon had his mind on other things. As he crawled through the ships air ducts his mind was being assaulted with thoughts of his A.I. He refused to believe that Dokuro was dead. He received no alert on his HUD like Eric had when Yuna was thought to be destroyed. Still, Dokuro had put herself out of contact with the Spartan's while she was in the ships systems to avoid unwanted attention. Another thing that bothered him was the fact that Mitsuki hadn't shown herself to them as soon as they got on board. She should have at least sent a small acknowledgement to the Spartan's that she was still functioning as soon as they arrived but she hadn't. He thought that her damage could be far worse than they had originally thought.

However, Mitsuki had to still be functioning due to them not setting off any of the Covenant's security systems on the ship. After Kalder's first mission to rescue Izumi, the Covenant no doubt had the Prophet under heavy guard. The only detection that they had faced was when the Covenant A.I. that had taken Kalder's form spotted them. Other than that it was unusually quiet.

He frowned under his visor as he continued to crawl. As much as he didn't want to, he had to push Dokuro aside in his mind, he still had a mission to do, he also remembered that if need be, an A.I. would sacrifice herself for the good of the mission. "Good of the mission…" He thought.

Devon paused. The thought was eating at him and he knew that he couldn't continue with his assignment until he saw the answer for himself. He set his Assault Rifle down on the air vent floor and then reached around to the back of his helmet. He carefully pulled Dokuro's chip out from his neural implant and looked at it. Dokuro's data crystal was glowing a faint pale purple. Devon frowned under his visor. The dull glow was evidence of the A.I. being out of her chip, however, they still had a connection to their home.

He tapped his gloved finger onto a small button on the metal housing of Dokuro's chip. Instantly, a hologram appeared displaying data and other information. The data's main menu was still broadcasting a signal. Devon felt a small smile return to his face. It meant that Dokuro was still linked; however, he was still unaware of her status. He tapped his finger off one of the holographic buttons on the display menu and selected an option to view Dokuro's status. He selected the option and a screen of data flashed before him.

He read the large fond displaying her name, cereal number, as well as an image of her hologram. He scrolled down and saw something that caught his eye. In flashing red letters it said, "Emergency Backup Power". "…What?" He said to himself. He continued to read through the data; however, most was unable to be displayed due to Dokuro keeping herself in her stealth mode. Devon sighed as all the information he pieced together simply left him with the impression of something had happened to Dokuro; however, she had survived whatever had done it to her. Most likely an encounter with the Covenant A.I. he had encountered earlier. Still, her signal was still transmitting and she hadn't called for an extraction. It left him with the small comfort that she was still okay.

As Devon closed the status display on Dokuro's chip, he sighed thinking back to the fight they had before they left on this mission. He knew that letting his emotions come before a mission was a bad thing, especially to one of Dr. Halsey's special A.I. with open emotions. As he put her chip back in his neural implant he said quietly to no one in particular, "I'm sorry, Dokuro."

Devon then picked up his Assault Rifle and continued to crawl. He pulled up an option on his HUD. It was an entire map layout of the ship that Kobalt had uploaded to all of the Spartan's before she went inside the ships systems. Devon watched as the map pinpointed his location and then gave him a layout of the ships air duct network. Devon grinned to himself and said, "I guess you are a clever little girl." He also saw a blue dot appear on one of the pathways on the map with a number 45 above it. He now had Eric's location and he began to crawl towards it.

* * *

Eric's boots clacked harshly off of the ships metal floor. It was still unusually quiet. He had been walking for a good five minutes and hadn't encountered anything since the battle back in the large atrium. Even his motion tracker was reading all clear. The only thing he had seen since his team split up was one loan Engineer that was fixing a damaged power line that ran through the ships walls. He didn't even bother to open fire on it, he knew they were harmless and only focused on fixing things.

Up ahead there was a door with flashing red lights around its center latch. Eric slowly approached the door and rested his Shotgun on his shoulder. He then went to reach out to attempt to override the doors lock and then stopped himself. He remembered back to the door in the underground that was at a very high temperature and Yuna yelling at him for not using common sense. He raised and eyebrow under his visor and quickly tapped his finger on the door. His shields didn't flare. "Okay… not hot." He uttered. He looked at his motion tracker. "Nothing moving." He said again. He then shrugged and activated the doors lock override.

The doors latch spun open and a dull tone sounded. Suddenly, Eric was blown off of his feet as the air in the room seemed to explode around him. He felt himself being tumbled around the hall like a rag doll as his Shotgun was torn from his grasp. He quickly spread the wings of his Angel Pack and activated the thrusters in an attempt to stabilize himself. As he felt himself regaining control of his movement, everything went silent.

Eric looked around. He was floating in the hall and the only sound that could be heard was his own breathing under his helmet. Unknown to him, this was one of the area's of the ship that Mitsuki had vented the atmosphere from. All through the halls in this area of the ship, red emergency lights pulsed silently in the hard vacuum. He then saw his Shotgun still tumbling through the zero G. He quickly braced his boot against the wall and pushed himself forward. Reaching out to grab it, he opened his COM and said, "Ran into a vented section of the ship. Stay alert so you aren't blown off your feet."

He then heard the reply of Kalder's voice saying, "That would be Mitsuki's doing. She did that when we were first up here." Eric rolled his eyes, "Thanks for telling me earlier!" Kalder shot back, "Forgive me, I was busy getting blown out into space, couldn't exactly fill you in!" They then heard Devon come in over the COM and say, "Lock it down you two! Just relax, I ran into it too, almost had my helmet blown off. I'm near your location now, Eric. We'll be able to keep the same pace towards the Prophet."

Eric nodded, "Status Kalder?" Kalder's boots touched down on the ships purple skin. "Just landed on the outside. Going to start looking for external plasma coils so I can shut them down." Eric replied, "Alright, I'm uploading a NAV marker so you can track my movement, I don't want us getting to far apart, especially when we get closer to the Prophet." Kalder nodded and said back, "I'll keep moving then."

The COM channel severed and Kalder looked around. The outer plating of the Prophet's ship was lined with countless tube like designs that covered the entire surface. He didn't know if it was all for wiring or just decoration. However, one large vein of wire caught his eye. If they were in fact power wires, this thick one obviously lead to something big. Making sure his motion tracker was clear Kalder proceeded.

As he walked, he began to find what looked like external power couplings and maintenance access bays. His guess was he was nearing an external weapon source. As he began his search he noticed his motion tracker flash completely red. He inhaled sharply and quickly looked around and froze. In space he saw multiple Covenant ships beginning to emerge from Slip Space ruptures all around the UNSC blockade. He could also see a line of ships heading towards Aurora's surface. 'Shit!" He called out as he again opened his COM.

"We need to regroup now and double time it to the Prophet!" He called out in an almost panic. Eric replied, "What happened?" Kalder called back, "Covenant reinforcements! Both around the Blockade and heading towards Aurora!" "Dammit!" Devon called out over the COM, "I knew they weren't done with us!" Eric then came on over the COM and said, "Kalder, scrap your assignment and find a way back inside! Devo, keep pressing in deeper, we need to get to Redemption and end this!"

"Should we attempt to pull the girls out of the system?" Devon asked. "No," Eric said back, "if they're still alive in there, they have a job to finish, besides, they have to keep the Covenant off of us while we advance, lord knows we're going to need that extra shield once we get in deeper." Devon sighed, "Understood."

* * *

Red emergency lights pulsed through the long corridors of Outpost Bravo as Yuna and Jimmy made their way deeper within the UNSC fortress. Now in the sub levels, all of the remaining troops and higher ranked officers had been evacuated to either the surface or protective bunkers leaving them out in the open with no support. Yuna clutched her SMG close to her chest as she ran behind Number 76.

"Anything on your Motion Tracker?" Yuna asked quietly to keep their presence unheard. "All clear for now." Jimmy kept his guard to its maximum; Yuna was only in a standard ONI uniform that offered next to no protection against plasma weaponry, or any weaponry for that matter. He was constantly checking for any sign of movement so he could put himself immediately between Yuna and the danger.

"I've never been this deep within Bravo before." Jimmy said, "Where is Izumi even being kept?" Yuna, still keeping her own guard up for any sign of Covenant activity replied, "We have to reach an elevator that's within the ONI compound. It will take us down to the main personnel bunker. If I had to guess, the UNSC put her and Anna down there with the rest of the higher ranked officers." "Isn't she safe in there for now? It is one of the main bunkers in here after all." Yuna shook her head and said back, "That bunker along with this outpost was built during the wars with the Insurrection and the Rebels. It was meant to protect against heavy nuke strikes. If an unauthorized person made it in to Bravo that far, their technology wouldn't be able to help them hack through to get inside. With the Covenant it's different. That bunker will keep its occupants safe from plasma fire, maybe even a glassing; however, if a Covenant strike team was deployed into Bravo, they most likely have a special team of system experts to pry their way in. And you and I both know that their tech is far superior to ours."

Jimmy cautiously poked his head around the corner and motioned Yuna to advance. As they kept moving Jimmy continued, "And you think their going to try and recapture Izumi?" "I don't think," Yuna said back, "I know. They captured her once and didn't execute her, even when they knew that Kalder was attempting a rescue. They obviously want her for something. I'm making sure that they never get that opportunity."

Around the next corner Jimmy immediately froze and held his hand out to stop Yuna. "What is it?" Yuna asked. Jimmy then brought his Battle Rifle up to firing position and cautiously moved forward. Up ahead, the corridor looked as though a bomb had gone off. The ceiling and floor was destroyed leaving a six foot wide pit before them, and the walls were splintered with cracks. Smoke choked the area and the sound of live wires snapped with the buzz of electricity. The two cautiously moved forward and stopped when they reached all of the damage. Yuna looked up at the ceiling and then to the floor. It looked as though a giant nail had torn into the base and was then yanked out leaving behind the destruction.

Down below, the hole in the floor led deeper within the ground and eventually into other area's of the base. "A Drill Pod went through here." Yuna said as she brought her SMG up and looked around for any signs of a threat. She then looked up at Jimmy and said, "Pick me up." "What?" Jimmy asked. Yuna sighed and cocked her hips as she continued, "Look at me, does it look like I can jump across that hole? I need you to pick me up and jump us across." "How about I throw yah!" Jimmy said back. Yuna raised an eyebrow and said sharply, "Need I remind you of our rank difference, you should be saying "yes Ma'am!" to me every chance you get!"

"You would think that!" Jimmy said with a laugh, "But I've never really been one for military discipline." With a raised eyebrow, Yuna replied, "I'm more than aware, which is why Chief Mendez was always making you do double the push ups and, triple the laps to run around Castle Base." Jimmy grinned under his visor and said, "Yeah, and that's how I got these perfectly sculpted muscles." Yuna sighed and said, "I'm not asking you to let me ride on your shoulders the rest of the way, I'm just asking for you to help me jump that gap." "…Fine." Jimmy sighed as he knelt down and picked Yuna up bridal style and leapt both of them across the gap.

Jimmy landed with a thud on the other side and then set Yuna down. "Was that so hard?" She asked. "This is an escort mission, of course it was." Yuna kept moving and said, "You're a Spartan, working as a team is should be your main strong point." Jimmy brought his Battle Rifle up to a readied position and said back, "I have bad news for you. You were given a Spartan that specialized in solo special operations to act as your guard. I usually work alone." Without turning back to look at 76, Yuna pointed to her ONI emblem on the shoulder of her uniform. "Rank!" Yuna said, "You may be taller, faster, and stronger than me, but I'm still above you. Got it?" Jimmy sighed, "Yes…" "Yes?" Yuna asked. Jimmy rolled his eyes, "Yes, Ma'am." Yuna smiled, "There we go! See, you're learning!"

* * *

Kalder made his way across the outer skin of the Prophet's ship towards a maintenance airlock. His task to attempt to disable some of the ships outer plasma weaponry was now scrapped and he needed to get back inside and regroup with the others. It didn't matter that his assignment had been scrapped, there was little he could do on his own without the aid of Mitsuki or any other Smart A.I. for that matter.

As he neared the airlock, he froze. Two red dots pinged on his motion tracker. He quickly ducked himself down and hid behind a large vent. After a few moments, he saw two Brutes in what looked like special maintenance suits meant for hard vacuum. The suits showed no signs of armor plating and they didn't appear to be carrying weapons. Without hesitation, he quickly pulled out a Plasma grenade that he had scavenged. He primed it and quickly tossed it to the closest Brute. The blue orb adhered to the Brute's lower back and before it could even react it vanished in a bright blue cloud. The remaining brute appeared to be wounded by the blast. Kalder quickly pulled up his Sniper Rifle and took aim. Through his scope he could see atmosphere being vented from the aliens damaged suit. He didn't bother to waste the round, the Brute would be dead in moments.

Kalder then quickly made his way into the airlock and waited for the pressure to return to normal. While he waited he opened his COM and said, "Stay alert, I just encountered a Brute maintenance crew. It was small but their starting to investigate the damage we caused. That and probably from that A.I. spotting us." He heard Eric's reply of, "Understood, still haven't encountered anything threatening yet though. Nothing but Engineers." Devon then added. "The same for me. Eric and I both hit the vented section of the ship, the only Covenant we're seeing now are floating dead."

Kalder nodded and then asked, "Have either of you heard anything back from our girls?" Devon sighed and then said back, "Negative." Eric then added, "I've tried Kobalt several times but they're still in their stealth mode; and if what that Covenant A.I. said was true, we won't be hearing from Dokuro again." "That thing lied!" Devon shot back. "There's no way it killed her."

There was a pause on the COM before Devon continued, "It only told us it killed her, it had no proof. I checked Dokuro's stats on her chip and she was still transmitting a signal. There's no way she's dead." Eric then sighed and said back, "Let's just hope that thing was bluffing then because if we don't have our girls for when we get in deeper, we're screwed." Kalder then added, "Well they better contact us soon, because we're almost in the deep end." "I'll keep trying to reach Kobalt." Eric said, "As for you guys, keep alert and let each other know your position updates. I want us regrouped ASAP." "You got it." Kalder said.

His COM channel severed and Kalder sighed as the blast doors opened. Kalder noticed something. There was no hiss as the doors parted and he remained in Zero G. Apparently he too had made it to the section of the ship that Mitsuki had vented.

Kalder floated silently through the halls of the ship. The only sound filling the room was the muffled breathing from within his helmet. It was like being on the ship the first time right after Mitsuki had taken control. He floated up to another door and watched as it opened. He felt his pulse quicken as he saw the lifeless body of a low ranked Brute floating lifeless in the ships corridor. Shaking his head, Kalder pushed himself forward and floated past the dead alien. He for some reason held his breath as he passed as if he were expecting it to come to life and attack. It never happened.

He looked on his HUD and saw a NAV marker that Kobalt had uploaded to him when they had first arrived. This one was showing him Eric's location. He was almost a half mile from his current position. He had a lot of ground to cover if he was going to meet back up with the others in the short window of time they had. He neared the next door and waited for it to open. This time however, something was waiting for him on the other side. His motion tracker flashed with four red dots and on the other side he saw four brutes in atmosphere suits, and these ones were armed. He quickly swapped his Sniper Rifle out and brought his Battle Rifle up to firing position and took aim. As he fired shots off, he opened his COM, "Contact!"

* * *

Yuna and Jimmy continued to make their way through the deep sub levels of Outpost Bravo. The halls were still uneasily quiet and the only light source being red emergency lights made their journey all the more tense. Adrine's hologram appeared giving off a cool aqua glow in the hall. With herself projected and walking with the two, she calmly said, "Not to alarm either of you, but I am detecting motion on both the sub levels above and below us. Nothing has breached our level yet so for now I'm reading all clear."

Jimmy looked at his A.I., "Anything in Active Camo?" Adrine ran her fingers through her wavy hair and replied, "Nothing that I am detecting; however, if you like I can perform an entire level scan." Jimmy shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I don't want you getting distracted, for now just keep your focus on the area around us. If something moves, even if it's a pen falling off of a desk, I want to know about it." Adrine nodded. "I understand."

They continued moving towards one of the elevators that would take them deeper into the base. Yuna began to get slightly ahead of Jimmy. She wanted to take point since no threats were being detected on their level; all the while looking at her personal PDA checking base stats and attempting to manually reset the power so they would have more light. They were nearing their destination when Adrine suddenly stopped. "What is it?" Jimmy asked. Adrine carefully put her fingers to her forehead and said with a hint of concern, "Something is heading towards us." Jimmy instantly tightened his grip on his Battle Rifle and said back, "How many?" Adrine only got out the words, "Move!" before all hell broke loose.

From up above the room violently began to shake and almost instantly the ceiling seemed to explode as another Drill Pod tore it ways through the base and dug its way deeper. Jimmy hit the dirt and covered his head with his hands. Adrine's hologram disappeared underneath a wall of debris and instantly vanished. Jimmy continued to shield himself as the pod tore its way through the floor and continued to dig deeper.

In what took only seconds, the noise of the hall around them being destroyed died into silence. Jimmy looked up to find a cloud of dust and rubble in front of him. He also noticed that Yuna was nowhere to be seen. He quickly pulled himself to his feet and attached his Battle Rifle to the back of his suit. He activated his helmets flashlight and looked around. He saw no sign of Yuna anywhere. Fearing the worst, he rushed over to the pile of rubble and began to frantically dig and toss aside broken pieces of concrete and metal. "Yuna!" he called out, "Yuna can you hear me?"

From the other side of the debris, Yuna heard Jimmy calling out to her. Yuna groaned. She was lying on the ground and she felt a sharp pain coming from the top of her head. As she reached her hand up, she called back, "I hear you!" She heard Jimmy call back, "Are you alright?" Yuna placed her hand on the top of her head and felt something sticky. She pulled her hand back down and looked at it. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Her hand was covered in blood. "Yuna! Answer me!" Jimmy shouted. Quickly Yuna assessed her injury. Looking next to her, she saw a piece of concrete that had landed beside her, she guess it had fallen on her during the Drill Pod's entrance.

She pushed herself up and sat on the floor. She groaned and called back trying to hide the pain, "I'm fine." She heard Jimmy call back, "Alright, hold on, I'm going to clear this junk out of the way and I'll crawl through. Yuna looked up at the wall of debris and saw how much of the base had collapsed around them. She guessed from how muffled Jimmy's voice was, that the debris wall was at least five feet thick. It would take Jimmy far to long to clear it out by hand.

Yuna called back, "Jimmy do you have any grenades?" Yuna held her eyes shut as she held her hand over the wound on her head. It hurt and she knew that she needed medical attention, but until she and Jimmy either met back up for finished their mission, it would have to wait. She then heard Jimmy call back, "I don't." Yuna sighed and then looked around. She knew that she wasn't far from the elevator that she and Jimmy were headed for. She then called back. "Jimmy, I need you to listen to me, you're going to have to find another way down. This debris is going to take to long to get through and we're running out of time." Jimmy said back, "Oh no! I'm not leaving you alone down here with Covenant on the loose! I'm not risking your safety…" Yuna cut him off and said back, "I'm not telling you to split up, I'm ordering you! Keep in mind my rank."

Jimmy sighed and said back, "…Understood. But so help me god if you get yourself captured or killed…" "Relax." Yuna said back, "I know this base better than anyone. I used to be able to see the entire place at once remember?" There was a pause and then she heard Jimmy say back, "Where are we meeting then?" Yuna replied as she fought to hide the pain in her voice, "Head to Command. I need you to get inside and have Adrine reset the power and arm the defensive turrets." "And what about you?" Jimmy asked. Yuna reached over and grabbed her SMG off the floor and said, "I'm going to get Izumi and Anna."

There was another pause before Jimmy said back, "Fine, just be careful." "I'll be fine," Yuna called back, "I'll upload a map to your HUD showing you where to go. For now, have Adrine direct you to one of the other elevators that will take you to Command." Yuna then heard Jimmy say, "Yes Ma'am." Before he spun on his heel and headed off for his objective.

Yuna sighed as she felt more of her blood seeping down through her hair. Her metallic sky blue locks now had a deep red patch that was making its way down towards her shoulders. She felt her warm blood seep down her forehead and down her delicate face. She saw her uniforms beret lying beside her. It had fallen off when she dove to the ground to get out of the way of the falling debris. She picked up the small hat and secured it to her head. She then undid one of its decorative blue ribbons and used it to tie it in place over the wound on her head, instantly turning the white fabric a deep blood red. It wasn't the best, but until she found a Med Pack it was the only thing keeping pressure on the wound.

Yuna staggered to her feet, trying her best to ignore the splitting head ach she was feeling. She quickly pulled out her PDA and was relived to see that it was undamaged. She then sent a visual map of the base to Jimmy and finally pulled up her SMG. She knew that the Covenant were somewhere in the base, if she did have to fight her way through some of them, she wasn't going to go down easy.

* * *

Jimmy saw Yuna's message pop up on his HUD. He said, "Adrine, look over her directions and keep my NAV marker updated." "Already on it." She said coolly. Jimmy saw the NAV marker appear and began to follow it. With his pace now at a run, he was trying to reach Command as fast as he could. With Yuna now away from his protection and with unknown amounts of Covenant being deployed in the base, he didn't want her running around by herself. If he had it his way he would have simply went to find some grenades or other explosives to clear the debris and meet back up with her, but orders were orders and it did no good attempting to tell a member of ONI what to do; especially a member that used to be an A.I.

As Jimmy ran he heard Adrine say to him, "Hold on, I just felt something move." Jimmy's eyes narrowed, "I know, I felt it after we left Yuna." Adrine said back, "Why didn't you take action?" Jimmy said back, "Because I'm luring it away. I don't want whatever it is chasing Yuna."

Up ahead, Jimmy saw the elevator. He slid to a stop and said, "Can you bring the elevator up, Adrine?" He heard her reply, "I can, but you are aware that the movement is behind you?" Without moving, Jimmy said back, "Oh I know, and it's about to get a taste of my bullets." As Adrine went to call the elevator, Jimmy heard the sound of a Plasma Sword flashing to life behind him. With his grip tightly around his Battle Rifle, he turned and saw an Elite Zealot, clad in scarlet armor and staring him down with it's sword ready to attack.

Jimmy grinned and said, "That pretty red armor's about to get covered in your nasty black blood. I hope it's machine washable." The Elite growled angrily at the Spartan and then leapt forward. Jimmy quickly Sprinted towards the Elite and opened fire.


	55. GUN BUNNY

(CHAPTER 55) GUN BUNNY

Yuna made her way through the dark halls of the base. With her steps sluggish and her mind feeling dizzy from blood loss, she was finding it difficult to make her way through the corridors. The emergency lights pulsed between red and total darkness. Yuna pulled up her PDA and pulled out a small ear piece. The small device would make it much easier to communicate while she was tying to navigate. She activated the small earpiece and spoke. "Victoria, can you get the lights back on down here?" She heard no reply. "Victoria! I need light, can you hear me?" Still nothing. She sighed and kept moving.

Up ahead, she heard shuffling and the wheezing sound of a Grunt breathing. Yuna paused and put her back to the wall. Bringing her SMG up to firing position, she carefully inched her way over to a bend in the hall. Carefully, she looked around the corner and saw two Grunts waddling their way away from her towards a series of locker rooms. She watched as one of the Grunt's kicked an object. She narrowed her eyes and saw that it was kicking an ODST helmet. The one Grunt then spoke in its muffled voice, "These black armored ones too tough. It good we had Zealot to kill them all."

Still with narrowed eyes, Yuna lifted her SMG up and took aim. She lined up the sight with the back of the Grunt's head and squeezed the trigger. The weapon jumped in her hand as it popped loudly from rounds discharging. A burst of rounds caught the left grunt in the back of the head, killing it instantly. Yuna had trouble keeping the weapon level. The recoil kept kicking its aim high above her target. She let of the trigger, refocused her sights and fired another round. The bullets impacted off of the side of the remaining Grunts orange methane pack as it turned in surprise to investigate the gunfire. It screamed in surprise as its methane pack ignited sending it spiraling through the air and bouncing off the walls before it crashed to the hard metal floor.

Yuna quickly came out from behind the corner and approached the two fallen aliens. As she approached, she saw the one with the damaged methane pack gasping for breath as it lie bleeding on the floor. She almost had pity for the Grunts. Small, cowardly creatures that were always sent in as cannon fodder. As it wheezed from breathing in poisonous oxygen, it reached up its stumpy hand out towards her as if it were begging for help. Yuna frowned. She was never one to be the cruel type. Raising up her SMG, she aimed it at the Grunts head and said calmly before she pulled the trigger. "You're lucky I'm a nice person or I would just leave you to suffer." She then squeezed the trigger as a small group of rounds popped from the SMG and impacted on the aliens head, killing it.

The hall was again silent as Yuna lowered her weapon. The rush of adrenaline from the quick fight left her feeling light headed. Trying to shake off the effects of her blood loss and the nausea from the Grunts foul smelling blood she pressed forward. Further down the hall, she began to see a mix of both Covenant and human blood along with a large amount of spent shell casings scattered all over the floor. She knelt down next to a small pool of human blood and put her finger in it. Though it was cold from being on the metal floor, it wasn't congealed meaning it was fresh. It had only been about an hour since the Covenant started attacking the base, this blood seemed no older than fifteen minutes. She looked around, though this battle had just happened, she wasn't seeing any sign of troops, either Covenant or UNSC. Her guess was that the Grunts she had just killed were part of a scavenging team trying to recover weapons for their Elite leaders.

Yuna stood and staggered as she found herself nearing one of the ODST's equipment rooms. Looking down at her SMG, she had half a clip left. It would be enough for a scuffle with a small group of Grunts and maybe a Jackal or two. She needed an ammo restock and another weapon.

Slowly, she made her way inside the equipment room, trying to shake off her blurring vision. The room was quiet and illuminated only by a flickering light bar on the wall; the only light that looked as though it hadn't been shot by gunfire. Once inside, she instantly smelled the foul stench of methane. Walking further in, she discovered the smell coming from three dead grunts that were laying in a pool of their thick incandescent blue blood on the other side of a bench. Spotting no motion, she continued inside.

After taking a few steps, she heard the sound of glass cracking under her shoe. She looked down and saw pink shards scattered all over the floor. Yuna instantly recognized them as the remains from a Needler. The shards were everywhere, and the walls around her were peppered with impact marks.

She then walked around one of the rows of lockers and spotted something that she didn't want to see. The lifeless body of a fully armored ODST was laying face down on the floor with a large amount of Needler impact marks on his combat suit. Yuna sighed and walked up to him. Kneeling down at his side she tilted his helmet up slightly and hoped to discover a pulse as she placed her fingers on his neck. She wasn't surprised to find no sign of life; but with her blood loss and being stuck deep underground with an unknown amount of enemies trailing her, she was looking for any type of upper hand that she could get.

Looking around, she discovered that one of the equipment lockers was open. She stood and walked up to it and saw exactly what she was looking for. A small medical pack sitting among unfolded clothes and other things that whatever ODST assigned to this locker had at the time of the attack. She pulled the pack out and opened it. It contained the basic field medical supplies that a trooper would need in battle. She took off her uniforms beret and set it on a bench next to the locker. The pure white fabric was soaked completely blood red. She again reached her hand up to inspect the wound.

She ran her fingers through her blood soaked hair. Her metallic sky blue locks were slick and sticky. Running her fingertips through her scalp to find the wound; she let out a hiss of pain as she felt the gash. It was still open and still bleeding. She brought her now blood soaked hand back down to the med kit and looked through it for supplies. Taking out what she needed, she poured an antibacterial solution on a gauze pad and began to carefully clean the wound, trying her best to ignore the sting it made.

She tossed the bloodied gauze pad onto the floor and again looked through the kit. Bio-Foam was to much for a wound this small. She then saw a small tube that almost resembled superglue. The label read Liquid Stitch, perfect for this type of wound. She quickly uncapped the tube and placed it at the gash on her head. She squeezed the liquid stitch out and let it seal shut. She then checked one last thing. She used the tips of her fingers to put pressure on the area around the wound to check for a scull fracture. Thankfully, she didn't discover one, but undoubtedly she would be having headaches for the next few days; if she lived long enough to see them anyway.

Yuna didn't even bother to put her uniforms beret back on, it was already ruined and it was no longer serving a purpose. She left the bloodied garment on the bench and kept searching for supplies. She walked around to the other side of the room, discovering a body of a bloodied Jackal and spent shell casings. She also found something else she was looking for, a weapons locker.

She walked up to it and tried the latch. It made a clacking noise when she tried to open it. Sure enough, it was locked. Yuna sighed, "Figures." She looked around for anything that could be useful in getting it open. Yuna raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her SMG. "Better than nothing." she uttered as she brought it up to firing position. Yuna squeezed the trigger. The SMG popped loudly as the rounds sparked off of the handle of the weapon locker. She let out about twelve rounds before she let off the trigger. With a smile, she saw the door broken loose from its lock. Yuna reached out, taking care not to cut herself on the now jagged metal. She opened the weapon locker and her eyes widened. With a sassy smile she said, "Ooo, Candy!"

She discovered a line of Assault, and Battle Rifles as well as a Sniper Rifle. After looking at the weapons, she quickly ran to one of the ODST's lockers and attached an equipment belt around her tiny waist. Of course, even with the straps pulled their entire length, it was still to big for her. She would have to make do with the bulky equipment belt hanging loosely around her. She quickly went back to the weapons locker and loaded her belt with three clips for the Assault Rifle; as well as, two Frag Grenades and a combat knife.

Yuna paused and thought. She looked at the Sniper Rifle for a few seconds. She remembered trying to shoot the Shotgun back in the underground and getting knocked onto her butt, that was only an 8 gauge weapon. The S2AM was a .50 caliber rifle meant for one shot, one kill use. She knew everything about every weapon in the UNSC and Covenant arsenal, but one thing sat on her mind that she never got to learn about until now. Her curiosity got the better of her. She reached up and pulled the large rifle down. The first thing the noticed was its weight. Unloaded, the Sniper Rifle weighed twenty five pounds, that number would go up as soon as a clip was in it. Second, she noticed its length. The weapon was over half a foot longer than she was tall. Their size fit perfectly to a Spartan, or even a well built soldier; but she was barely five feet tall.

She rested the butt of the weapon on the ground and held it upright by its barrel. She then grabbed a clip and fed it into the rifles chamber. Yuna lifted the heavy weapon up and tried to hold it out at firing position and immediately failing due to its length and weight. She lowered it and thought for a moment. "I can't hold it up, but that doesn't mean I can't go prone." She quickly grabbed one extra clip of ammo for the weapon an slung it high on her shoulder to keep it from dragging off of the ground.

The weapon put an additional thirty pounds of weight on her tiny body, not including the weight of the Assault Rifle and extra ammo. She tried to ignore it and proceeded with her objective. Yuna held her Assault Rifle at a lowered position and went back out into the halls of the base; she again pulled out her PDA and checked her map. She was nearing an elevator that would take her the rest of the way down to ONI's secure bunker. However, still without power and hearing no word from Victoria, Yuna couldn't help but worry about the final leg of the trip.

* * *

Gunfire illuminated the dark hallway as Jimmy rapidly shot rounds from his Battle Rifle. The Zealot quickly retaliated as it leapt forward and rolled towards the Spartan with its Plasma Sword ready to strike. The Zealot raised its weapon high in the air as it readied to strike the Spartan down. Jimmy quickly leapt up into the air and rapidly spun his body around and kicked his heavy boot off of the Elite's forearm, throwing off its aim. He then quickly landed and knelt down as he fired more rounds from his Battle Rifle.

The three round bursts barely put a dent in the Zealot's overshields. The alien shook of the rounds and prepared for another strike. It quickly brought its sword down towards the Spartan. Jimmy again leapt out of the way and turned only to see a Plasma Sword rushing towards his black visor. He quickly held up his Battle Rifle to block the attack. The sword came down leaving Jimmy's only weapon to take the force of the swing. The white hot blade sailed through the rifle like a hot knife through butter. He watched as the blade came within inches of his visor. Even he would admit that attack was to close for comfort. He again brought up his boot and kicked the Elite away form him as he rolled out of the way.

He tossed the now useless rifle away and quickly unsheathed his combat knife from his armored belt. He brought up his knife to a fighting position and yelled out, "You wanna dance? Then let's dance!" The Zealot snarled and said back, "You underestimate my skill with a blade, Demon!" Jimmy cracked a smile under his visor and said back with a laugh. "And you underestimate mine! I'll warn you now, I'm way to good with blades!" The Elite snarled and spat, "We shall see!"

The Zealot again roared loudly and leapt at the Spartan. Jimmy leapt out of the way with an agile quickness. Jumping into the air, he kicked his boot off of the wall and vaulted himself behind the Zealot. Not hesitating, he quickly slashed his blade at the Elite's back. He watched as his blade slid across the Zealot's shields spraying white sparks as it went. The Zealot quickly turned and lunged forward. This battle was very one sided. Jimmy was great with a combat knife, however it was next to useless against a Plasma Sword. It couldn't deflect that blade, the plasma would simply burn through. He would have to dodge attacks until he saw an opportunity.

Jimmy again rolled out of the way as the scarlet armored Elite rapidly brought its sword down at the Spartan. While the Elite was distracted, readying itself to deliver another blow, Adrine quickly projected her hologram; however, she wasn't in her usual form. She projected herself to be an exact copy of Jimmy's MJOLNIR armor. "Need a little help?" She said with confidence over his COM. Jimmy looked at his A.I. She had pulled off a rather convincing copy, her hologram gave off no glow and in the darkness of the corridor, it was difficult to notice that she was transparent. Jimmy grinned under his visor and said, "Mirror my movements." "Way ahead of you." She replied coolly.

The Elite regained its fighting stance and suddenly tensed in shock when it saw two black armored Spartan's standing before him. Not hesitating, it snarled loudly and again began to attack. Aiming for Adrine's hologram, Jimmy dove out of the way, and in perfect unison, Adrine did the same. The Zealot again tried another attack against the two but couldn't get in a direct strike on their mirrored movements. This only made the alien angrier. Its attacks became more rapid and more aggressive. Adrine said over the COM, "This is getting to intense for this confined space. You have no firearm and your combat knife is useless against a Plasma Sword; we're ending this now! Let that Zealot attack me." "Won't that damage you?" Jimmy argued. Adrine sighed and said, "He'll only attack my hologram, my programming is in your head remember? Just make sure you keep that intact please." Jimmy shrugged, "You're the boss."

Deep within her data chip, Adrine cracked a sleek smile on her delicate lips. Despite her cool demeanor, when it came to risky battles, she had no objections to fighting dirty. Her hologram broke away from its mirrored motion of her Spartan's movements. Now with her control regained, she sloppily slashed her combat knife at the Zealot and purposely lost her footing. Without hesitation, the Zealot lunged its sword at Adrine's hologram. The white hot blade impaled her directly in the chest.

Adrine's hologram staggered as the Elite held the blade in place. She mimicked Jimmy's voice and made a few groans of pain as she slowly lifted her head towards the Elite. A grin appeared on the Zealot's split jaw. It had killed one of these wretched Demon's and it felt nothing short of complete pride. Adrine then began to mimic Jimmy's laugh. The Zealot looked at her with confusion, and then she morphed back to her normal form. The Elite's eyes widened as it watched the Spartan morph into the young girl. Adrine showed a sly grin on her face as her voice changed back to its normal tone and said with sass, "Surprise!" Adrine then sent out an EMP that traveled up the Zealot's blade and into its shielding. The high level EMP completely killed its shields. The Elite didn't have time to react before it felt the heavy weight of a Spartan jumping onto its back. Jimmy twirled his combat knife in his fingers and then quickly brought it down into the base of the Elite's neck, penetrating right into its jugular.

"Ooo! How'd that feel? It looked like it hurt!" Jimmy laughed to himself. The Elite staggered and fell to its knees as it bled out. Its Plasma Sword fell from its grip and deactivated as its hilt fell to the metal floor. The Zealot then groaned out its final breath before collapsing to the ground. Jimmy pulled his combat knife out of the Elite's neck and flicked the blood off. As he resheathed his blade, Jimmy looked up at his A.I. and said, "Now that's teamwork!" Adrine folded her arms and flicked her wavy aqua hair back over her shoulder, "You're welcome." She bragged. Jimmy nodded and said, "Hop back in, we need to keep moving." Adrine walked towards her Spartan and her hologram vanished back within his armor.

"Yuna, come in." Jimmy said as he made his way deeper within the base. "Go ahead." She said back quietly. "Are you holding out okay?" Jimmy asked. After a wash of static, Yuna replied, "I'm fine; still heading towards the bunkers. How far did you make it?"

Jimmy said back, "I just took out a Zealot; working my way towards Command now." There was a pause before Yuna said back, "A Zealot? Have you seen others?" Jimmy could hear the concern in her voice, "So far only one, but who knows how many more could be down here. Can you get this bases A.I. to give you a reading on how many Drill Pods breached this place?" After another wash of Static, Yuna said back, "I haven't been able to reach Victoria since this attack started. I'm guessing her systems were damaged during the first bombardment. I'll keep trying, and when you get to Command, send Adrine in to look for her." Jimmy nodded and replied, "Yes, Ma'am. And you be careful down there. If you see a Zealot, get away to a safe area and don't get spotted. There's no way you can handle one of them on your own." Yuna said back, "For once I'm not going to argue."

The COM cut out and Jimmy made his way deeper within the sub levels. "Show me the layout of this level." He said cautiously. Adrine complied and instantly brought up a map onto her Spartan's HUD. Jimmy quickly looked it over. The map showed a complete layout of the floor he was on as well as gave him his most direct route to Command. The area near his destination was splotched with flashing red circles; however, he didn't pay them any attention. "Keep my NAV marker going, Adrine." Jimmy said. Adrine paused and then uttered out, "Take it easy down here." Jimmy slowed his pace and asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

Adrine sighed, "Didn't you notice all the red near Command? Those indicate heavy damage to the level structure, damage that as of right now, can only be caused by a Drill Pod pushing its way in." Jimmy frowned. "So their trying to beat me there, huh? Over their dead bodies!" Adrine again snapped back, "Don't you realize how outnumbered we are right now? All of the other UNSC forces that were down here are out on the surface fighting off the ground units. We're all that's down here." "I doubt that." Jimmy said back, "There has to be other troops still down here. They wouldn't abandon Command."

"Listen to me!" Adrine called out, "Those Drill Pods did some real damage when they tore their way down here, with little to no power, all of the systems on this level are either damaged or in need of a hard reset, and I can't get into the Base's systems without an override from Command." "Can't you have this facilities A.I. do that for you?" Adrine sighed and said, "I've been trying to contact her since we came back down here. Whatever the Covenant did when they got here, it damn near fried all of the systems. I can't do anything until you get me to Command."

The thump of Jimmy's heavy boots began to echo off the walls as he started moving again. He grinned under his visor and said with confidence. "Then let's get you there." Keeping his guard up, the Spartan kept moving, keeping his pace just shy of a run so as to keep the sound of his heavy foot steps down. Through the muffled thumps of his boots, Jimmy heard the sound of brass tapping across the floor. He looked down and through the red emergency lights, he saw brass shell casings scattered across the floor.

Jimmy knelt down and picked one of them up. He activated his helmets flashlight and looked. These weren't rounds that had been spilled from an ammo pallet during the initial chaos of the first attack on the base, these rounds were spent. Jimmy then looked up and he felt himself inhale sharply. The walls were peppered with both bullet and plasma impacts, and the floor was now a resting place for spent rounds, weapons, and bodies, both UNSC and Covenant. "Well…" Jimmy uttered as he stood, "We know what happened to the rest of the troops that were left down here." There was a pause before Adrine said back, "You better find yourself a weapon. You'll be needing it more than they will now." Jimmy frowned and tossed the spent shell casing aside. "Looks that way."

He carefully walked through the hall, not wanting to disturb the fallen soldiers. He saw a stray Assault Rifle lying near the body of a Marine. Its alloy looked scuffed as if it had been slid harshly across the ground. Picking it up, he also discovered it was blood stained. Jimmy quickly grabbed some spare clips; as well as a Plasma Rifle with a large amount of power left. An object caught his eye. It looked like a sphere attached to a tripod. He shone his helmet's flashlights onto the object and he discovered that it was a Bubble Shield generator. Without thinking twice, he grabbed it and he kept going.

As he made progress towards his destination, he kept finding more bodies and more signs of battles. Jimmy kept his guard up as he jogged through the dark corridors. He held his Assault Rifle at the ready, always expecting to bump into a Zealot around every corner. He saw a blip on his motion tracker. Two red dots positioned next to each other down in the next hallway that he was supposed to go down. "It's going to get heavy now." Adrine told him. "Those strike teams are going for the same thing we are." Jimmy grinned, "Then their going to have to get through a big storm of my bullets!"

* * *

Ten minutes had passed since Yuna last heard from Jimmy. She staggered and was running out of breath. She was feeling the fatigue of her injury, carrying heavy equipment, along with running on little sleep due to the amount of chaos over the short period of her new life. She thought to herself as she staggered forward, "God, how does Eric do this without breaking a sweat." She shook her head as she forced herself to move forward. She had a splitting headache, and she felt dizzy.

Ahead of her was a large armored door. As Yuna walked up to it, the first thing she noticed was it required a special code for entry; a code which she knew, but the lack of power was going to be a problem. She pulled out her PDA and opened it. Establishing a connection she said, "Jimmy, could really use some power down here." "A little busy!" Was all she heard back over the sounds of gunfire.

* * *

An Elite groaned loudly as armor piercing rounds tore into its chest. The blue armored alien doubled over and fell lifeless to the ground as brass shell casings fell to the floor around it. Jimmy quickly leapt over the Elite and kept moving. Ahead, he saw a line of three Jackals standing in a wall formation with their glowing shields protecting them. With their Plasma Pistols firing, Jimmy quickly pulled out a Frag Grenade and whipped it at the bird like creatures. The device impacted off of one of the small energy shields and fell to the floor. The three aliens quickly ducked down behind their protective barriers for protection. There was a loud wham and a bright flash. The small energy shields that the Jackals carried gave little to no protection against any type of high explosive.

Again, Jimmy kept advancing. "I'm picking up more movement!" Adrine announced. Jimmy nodded and said back, "Good! They haven't even given me a challenge yet!" Jimmy dashed around the next corner and saw a small squad of Grunts. They yelled in shock at the sight of the Spartan rushing towards them and shooting. Their sloppy aim was no threat as Jimmy opened fire with his Assault Rifle and quickly brought them down.

"We're almost there!" Adrine called out. "Just get through that next security barrier and we'll be at the outer sector of Command!" Jimmy brought up his pace to a full on run and double timed it to the security barrier. Much like every other area of the base that was heavily guarded, the door was large, and reinforced. A small key pad flashed red on the wall near the door. "Do you know the code?" The Spartan asked. Adrine's hologram appeared and she approached it. Tucking her wavy hair behind her ear, she bent over the key pad and quickly examined it. Holding out her glowing hand, she quickly accessed the terminal and sent her code through, letting the systems know that a Smart A.I. was trying to gain access. Not even a second managed to pass by before the key pad flashed green and chimed as the door slid open. Jimmy motioned for Adrine to retract herself back into his battle suit, which she did, and then he continued inside.

The other side of the door was a hallway that was decorated with framed pictures of the UNSC's highest ranking officers; as well as, some of the more popular recruitment posters and other UNSC propaganda. The hall led to a glass door that opened into the Command sector. The glass was spider webbed with cracks, evidence of the concussive force of an explosion that had gone off. Jimmy cautiously looked through it and found himself standing at a final checkpoint before someone was granted access into Commands base of operations. The room was large and open, much like a lobby of an office building. A lot of wasted space in the Spartan's opinion.

Peering through the cracked glass, Jimmy saw the damage caused by three large Drill Pods that had torn their way inside. He didn't know if any had managed to find their way into Command. He also saw a large number of Covenant forces. He could count at least twenty of both Grunt's and Jackals and from what he could see, five white armored Ultra's. "Still not feeling challenged, Jimmy?" Adrine asked with sarcasm. Jimmy quickly fed a fresh magazine into his Assault Rifle and said back, "This is more my speed!"

Without hesitation, Jimmy quickly pulled out another Frag Grenade and primed it. He let it cook in his hand for two seconds before he kicked open the glass door and shattered it. He quickly tossed the grenade at the largest group of Grunts and Jackals before they had a chance to react. The grenade detonated, sending bodies and slick blue and purple blood flying into the air as he rushed in and opened up on the remaining forces.

There was no turning back, and no cover. Jimmy rushed to the center of the room and stood at firing position as the Covenant surrounded him. He quickly threw down the Bubble Shield that he had found and stood at the ready as the weapon fire temporarily stopped. Adrine's hologram appeared and she stood back to back with her Spartan, and summoned her defensive weapons. She held large duel revolvers, modeled after an 1800's style Colt .45. She grinned and looked up at her Spartan. "Ready for some back to back?" Her Spartan nodded and said, "Show me what you got!"

The bubble shield burst and instantly, weapon fire erupted. Jimmy quickly sighted on one of the Elite Ultra's and tore away at its shields while Adrine took aim and fired EMP rounds from her Revolvers. It was a strategy that the two had developed several years earlier. When the two would fight back to back, Adrine would fire EMP rounds at Elites to significantly weaken their shields while Jimmy would finish them off with live rounds. The only drawback was that the power used to create the EMP's that she fired came from Jimmy's shield generator. With every shot she fired, it ate away at her Spartan's shields.

"At your 6!" Adrine called out. Jimmy quickly turned and unloaded on an Elite that Adrine had been firing at. The alien Quickly dropped. "Jackals regrouping left!" Adrine again called. As Jimmy turned, he called back, "Ultra to your right!" The two again changed position and opened fire. Jimmy kept a careful eye on his shields. If he wanted to survive against this many Covenant, he would have to make every bullet count.

Jimmy quickly took aim at the small divot in the Jackals shields to throw them off balance before he finished them off. "6 o'clock!" Adrine announced. The two again changed positions and continued firing. Jimmy managed to tear through the second Elite. As it began to stagger, his Ammo counter on top of his Assault Rifle read 00. He quickly pulled the spent clip and slammed in a fresh one. His Rifle popped loudly as another barrage brought the Ultra to the ground. "Grunt's right!" Adrine shouted. Jimmy again turned and quickly brought the small aliens down.

Two small orbs of plasma from the third Ultra's Plasma Rifle punched through Adrine's hologram and splashed off of Jimmy shields. Adrine fuzzed from the rounds but it didn't stop her attack. She quickly shot several more EMP's at the Ultra; tearing through its shields and stunning it from the shock of power. "Third one is down!" She called out to her Spartan. Jimmy and Adrine again swapped positions. He raised his Assault Rifle and unloaded a burst of armor piercing rounds into the Ultra, killing it.

Through his helmets speakers, Jimmy heard his suits alarms chime as his shields reached low power. He quickly called out, "Adrine, Shield Generator emergency power, now!" Adrine's eyes glowed an intense aqua color as she quickly sent a part of herself into her Spartan's armor to restore his shield power. Jimmy watched as his suit flashed gold while his shields revived themselves. While Jimmy finished off the remaining Grunt's and Jackals, Adrine rapidly twirled her duel revolvers on her dainty fingers and quickly sighted on the fourth Ultra. She grinned and said, "You want a piece?" The Elite snarled angrily and unloaded its plasma rifle.

Adrine's two revolvers kicked hard in her hands as she fired. Four EMP bursts shot in rapid succession slammed into the Ultra, completely killing its shields. "Jimmy!" She called out, "6 o'clock! Kill it!" Quickly, the two again spun back to back and Jimmy gunned down the fourth Ultra.

As Jimmy brought down another enemy, Adrine quickly began to sight her final target. As she turned, her bright, aqua eyes widened in shock. She saw a pulsing blue orb sailing directly at her. Quickly, she yelled out, "Dive!" Jimmy turned in time to see a Plasma Grenade flying towards him. He quickly flexed his legs and dove to the floor and rolled out of the way. The grenade landed just shy of ten feet from him and detonated. The close explosion impacted hard on the Spartan's shields and left them fully depleted. With his suits alarms screaming, and still laying prone, Jimmy quickly unloaded his final clip into the Ultra, bringing it to its knees and finally falling lifeless on the floor.

Adrine cautiously looked around at the room of dead Covenant and turned to her Spartan. She showed him a triumphant smile and chirped, "We did it!" As Jimmy got back to his feet, he grinned under his black visor and said in his comedic tone, "Yeah we did! You don't mess with Jimmy without getting a face full of my bullets!"

From above them, both Jimmy and Adrine heard the sound of glass shattering. With a panicked look on her face, Adrine yelled, "Zealot!" Jimmy turned in time to see a scarlet armored Zealot hurtling down towards him in a shower of broken glass from an observation window that it had jumped through. He didn't have time to react. He only managed a "Fuck my life." Before the large alien landed full force onto the Spartan, slamming him to the ground on his back and knocking the wind from his lungs.

As Jimmy rapidly tried to inhale air back into his lungs, he saw the Zealot draw a dagger like blade of plasma from the forearm plating of its armor. Jimmy frowned and quickly brought his arm up and slapped the blade away from him. The Elite snarled and Jimmy quickly delivered a harsh uppercut to its split jaw. The Zealot snarled with spit flying from its mouth and splashing onto the Spartan's black visor. The Elite again brought its wrist blade up and with extreme force, brought it down towards Jimmy's visor.

Quickly, he reached both hands up and gripped tightly onto the Elite's forearm. Jimmy grinned his teeth and forced out a loud groan as he tried with all his strength to keep the Elite from killing him. The Zealot looked at Jimmy square in the eye and said in an almost sinister tone, "I'm going to enjoy every moment of watching you die, Demon!" Jimmy angrily yelled back, "You better hope you kill me, because if not, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard that all of your dead friends I just killed are gonna feel it!" The Zealot again snarled angrily at the comment and spat back, "Your blood will spill!"

Both Jimmy and the Zealot heard several loud bangs. Before either could react, the Zealot felt its shields being pelted by EMP bursts. It lost balance and fell to the side, looking up to see the hologram of a human girl firing at it. With its shields significantly lowered from the hits, Jimmy quickly recovered and pulled the Plasma Rifle off of his leg plate and opened fire on the Zealot. The Elite quickly kicked itself to its feet and sprinted for the nearest exit it saw. Before it was out of sight, Jimmy managed to completely deplete its shields with his Plasma Rifle and wound the Alien. The weapon then jumped in his hand and began to vent it self after its rapid fire overheating. After the Zealot was out of sight, Adrine yelled, "Get inside Command, now!"

He watched as Adrine's hologram hacked her way into the entrance to Command and then motion him inside. Jimmy quickly ran and made his way through the entrance to Commands central hub. Adrine sealed the door behind him and said, "Get me uploaded into this place, now!" Her hologram then vanished back inside his armor as her Spartan began to look around. The room was running on emergency power, the large monitors were fuzzed with static while red emergency lighting pulsed in the room. With his helmet's flashlights on, he quickly made his way passed all of the separate work stations in the Command room and down towards the large central data terminal. He quickly pulled out Adrine's chip and inserted her in the base's systems.

Her hologram again appeared and she said with worry, "My god, this place is in complete chaos. Everyone in the sublevels were evacuated to other area's of the base when the Drill Pods started coming down. They caused so much damage when they impacted, they left this area of Bravo is next to useless." "What about Izumi?" Jimmy asked. "Her area was hit too." Adrine told him. "However she is down within this base's most protected bunker. Even a Drill Pod can't cut through that much titanium."

Jimmy looked around and then asked, "Can you contact this Base's A.I. for some extra help?" Adrine paused as she began to search for Victoria. Pushing herself through as much of the base as she could to try and find her. After a full three seconds, Adrine said back with worry, "I can't locate her." Jimmy sighed and said, "Can you at least get some backup power going and get the defensive turrets online?" Adrine nodded and replied coolly, "The power is simple enough; however, I'm detecting a large amount of damage in the base's defensive systems, I can bypass it and get them running; however, it's going to take some time." "How long?" Jimmy asked. Adrine paused and then replied, "Five, ten minutes tops. It all depends on how long it takes me to bypass damaged systems and reroute defensive orders." Jimmy nodded, "Do it."

Jimmy opened his COM and said, "Yuna, we made it to Command, standby for power and defensive systems." He heard her tired voice call back, "Standing by. How much opposition do I have ahead of me?" Jimmy paused and said, "Expect heavy Covenant presence near the bunkers, and don't get your hopes up for any backup. This entire sector of the base has been evacuated due to the heavy damage from the Drill Pods. So as of right now, we're the only UNSC presence down here." Yuna paused and said back, "…Alright. I'm hoping to run into some Onyx Guards near the Bunkers. I doubt even they would evacuate when the Chancellor is still down here." "Let's hope so." Jimmy said back. From across the room, Adrine called out, "Power has been restored." Command lit up and Adrine instantly began to reboot everything.

* * *

Bright lights flashed to life in the hall outside of the ONI compound. Now in full light, Yuna quickly went over to the keypad and typed in her access code and watched as the large blast door slid open. She went inside and shut the door behind her to keep out anyone that might be following her. "How long until the turrets are online?" She asked. She heard Jimmy say back, "Adrine estimates about five minutes," He said back, "ten tops. It all depends how quick she can get them operational. These systems are a mess."

Yuna brushed one of her blood soaked bangs out of her face and proceeded deeper within the ONI compound. "Alright," She said back, "I know she's working hard already but don't let her be afraid to push her limits in there. I want no holdups once I have Izumi, and Anna secured." Jimmy then said back, "You'll have all the cover fire you need, but don't do anything until we have those guns operational. You can't take on a group of high ranked Covenant by yourself."

Up ahead, Yuna could see a lone Grunt that looked as though it was standing guard. Quickly, she ducked out of sight down a side hall. Cautiously, she said back, "I'm gonna have to call you back." "Why?" Jimmy asked. Yuna replied quietly, "I got company already. If you can get the security camera's operational and give me some feedback, that'd be great!"

There was a pause before Jimmy said back, "Hang on, loading them now." While she waited, Yuna poked her head around the corner and again saw the Grunt with it's back turned. She debated on just bringing it down with her Assault Rifle, an easy kill but it would also alert anyone else in the area to her presence. Jimmy then came back on and said, "Alright, I can see you… why do you have a Sniper Rifle?" Trying to keep her voice low, she said back harshly, "Because it kills things easier!" Jimmy then said back with a laugh, "Yeah, when you can hold it at firing position and actually aim with it!" "I can manage." She said back. Jimmy replied sharply, "That gun is taller than you are!" "I'm aware! Now are you going to help me or not?"

"Relax… Ma'am! I'm working on it." From back in Command, Jimmy worked on focusing the cameras for a clearer view. Yuna was in an unlit corner of a hall trying to stay out of sight and he managed to catch a glimpse of the butt of her Sniper Rifle as well as her long hair that was flowing around her ankles. He watched as Yuna poked her head out to look at the Grunt ahead of her and his eyes widened. He again opened his COM and said with a gasp, "You lied to Jimmy! You told him you weren't hurt but look at yah! There's blood all through your hair and all over your uniform!"

"Wow, you still go into the 3rd person when you're mad." Yuna said back. "Yeah I'm mad!" Jimmy shot back, "I trusted you when you said you were fine but you lied to me!" Yuna shot back, still trying to keep her voice at a low tone, "I'm ONI! I'm good at telling lies! How do you think the Spartan program stayed under wraps for so long? Deniability baby!"

From down the hall, the Grunt turned its head. Clearly it had heard Yuna's voice. Jimmy saw what was happening over the security camera and called back over the COM, "Hey shut up a minute! …Ma'am! You're getting to rowdy down there now that Grunt heard you." He watched as the Grunt turned and began heading towards Yuna's location. "Get down and don't move." The Spartan ordered. Yuna backed down into the shadows and lifted her Assault Rifle. Through her wireless earpiece, Jimmy fed her information.

"It's still makin' its way towards you; don't move." Yuna held herself motionless as she waited for the small alien to near her location. Her heart rate elevated with each passing second. She couldn't believe that a lone Grunt was making her this scared. She could clearly remembered Eric mowing over entire platoons of the little bastards without a second thought. Still, she was wounded, unarmored, and most likely outnumbered. If there was one Grunt down here, there was bound to be more up ahead.

"It stopped!" Jimmy reported. "Stay low, its turning back but it's taking its sweet time." Yuna narrowed her eyebrows down angrily as she silently unsheathed her combat knife. She then quietly said, "Is its back turned?" Jimmy then replied, "Yeah, but hold there for a few…" Before he could finish, Yuna dashed out into the hall and ran up behind the Grunt. She quickly grabbed the top of its head and tilted it back. Before the alien could react, Yuna slid her knife across its throat. The Grunt got out no more then a muffled gasp and made a few gurgling noises before it fell limp to the floor and bled out.

"Spartan's aren't the only one's who can get assassinations you know." Yuna said with sass as she flicked the slick blue blood from her blade before resheathing it. She felt something strange. A sharp pain spiked through her head and her vision blurred. Over her COM, Jimmy said back, "How bad is that wound. Don't try to hide it either, I got you on camera and I can already see the blood." Rubbing her hand against her forehead, Yuna said back, "It's fine. I closed the wound and stopped the bleeding but I…"

Yuna paused and felt something new. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseated. Her only conclusion for this happening was most likely caused by the smell coming from the Grunt she had just executed. "Yuna! What is it?" She heard Jimmy call out over the COM. Before he could reply, Yuna felt herself double over and instantly, she began to vomit. Her eye's widened in shock as it happened. She had never experienced this before. She felt her abdomen rapidly tighten as her body convulsed while the disgusting taste of vomit filled her mouth.

"I knew it." She heard Jimmy say over her COM. "You have a concussion. You're in no condition to fight, I'm coming down to get you." "No!" Yuna shot back as she wiped a strand of mucus from her lip. She spat more of the foul tasting fluid onto the floor and continued, "I need you to stay exactly where you are and control those turrets. If you don't give me cover while I go for Izumi, then we're all going to die! Do you understand me?" There was a pause before Jimmy said back with hesitation, "I don't think you understand your situation right now. You are in way over your head with enemies right now. What if you can't pull this off?"

Yuna again spat onto the floor and tried her best to regain her composure. She reached up to her shoulder and pulled the heavy Sniper Rifle off of its strap and then held it at a lowered position. She frowned and said back, "Then I'm going to make it hard for them until my least breath." She didn't hear a reply. With a frown, she tightened her grip on the rifle and limped forward. After a few moments she heard a click of static over her COM and heard Jimmy say with agitation, "Just so you know I got eyes on a group of Covenant troops. Most look like Spec Opps; all in black armor, I'm counting three Elites, and about five Grunts." Trying not to let her fear get the better of her, she kept moving forward. "Is that it?" she asked. Jimmy sighed and said, "Don't talk like you can handle them all by yourself."

"I don't have a choice right now!" She said back harshly while trying to keep her volume low. "Fine then." Jimmy said back, "I have the auto turrets coming online, they should be ready to fire in about ninety seconds. They'll be able to do the heavy lifting for you but if you can, I'll need you to try and kill at least one of those Elites. There are only three turrets in the area up ahead, they'll do the job but not fast enough to get them all at once." Yuna frowned and said, "I'll take care of it."

Up ahead, she could see the balcony that overlooked the area leading to the bunkers. Trying to be as quiet as she could, Yuna crept forward up to the banister and looked over. Just like Jimmy said, a group of Covenant forces were standing around a large door with weapons at the ready while one of the Black armored Elites was attempting to hack a key pad to gain entry. Not wanting to get spotted, she quickly but quietly went prone on the elevated balcony. Again, her COM clicked and Jimmy calmly said, "Alright, from now until the first round is fired, you communicate with me through hand signals. Adrine's got the camera's focused on you and the Covenant." Jimmy watched as Yuna nodded her head and gave a thumbs up behind her back.

She motioned towards her scope and then pointed her finger back towards the Covenant, letting him know that she was scoping her targets. Through the scope, Yuna focused on the Covenant as they attempted to crack the keypad lock. She reached up to her scope and adjusted it to a low range, 2x zoom. As she scouted her targets, she could hear the Elite's talking among themselves in their native tongue. She still had a knowledge of Covenant language and managed to hear them talking about reclaiming what was rightfully theirs. Yuna frowned, she knew all along this was about Izumi and this had confirmed it. She focused her sights on the Elite that was attempting to hack the terminal. She lined up her crosshairs directly on the back of its helmet and carefully held her hand up to signal to Jimmy that she was ready.

Over the COM Jimmy said back, "Alright, as soon as you take the shot, I'll light them up with the turrets. Just try to get that Elite down as fast as you can." Yuna signaled her reply with a light nod of her head. Her knowledge of firing this style of weapon kicked in and she slowed her breathing. With her finger rested on the trigger, she began to squeeze it. As the weapon readied to fire, Yuna froze and pulled her finger away from the trigger and held her hand up telling Jimmy to stop. "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked. Yuna, not taking her eye off the scope, again raised her hand up and pointed down towards the Covenant troops.

Yuna frowned as she watched a new target approach. Down below, the Covenant forces stood at attention as a Zealot, clad in scarlet armor approached the door and spoke harshly in it's native tongue. "Why haven't you broken through?" The Elite that had been attempting to hack the terminal instantly replied, "Their security measures are unusually advanced in this area of their stronghold. We have made progress but it will take some time to finish getting through." Yuna could hear the Zealot make a snarl as it continued, "You have already had enough time, if this door hasn't been opened within my next breath, I'll see to it that your next breath will be your last!"

The Spec Opps Elite held back its anger as it went back to attempting to hack through the terminal. In an agitated voice it reluctantly said back, "It will be done." Yuna watched as the Zealot folded its arms in frustration while it impatiently waited for entry deeper into the base. "You know that Zealot's have Overshields, right?" Jimmy said over Yuna's COM.

Not taking her focus off of the scope of her S2, Yuna simply nodded her head. Jimmy continued, "That gun would drop an Elite with no problem, but those Zealot's take at least three for a skilled rifleman to bring down. I know you're infinitely smarter than me and you probably already know what I'm telling you," Yuna simply cracked a smile and shrugged her shoulders as she silently agreed with what Jimmy had just told her. He continued, "but you need to understand that all the smarts that you have in that little head of yours won't help you when it comes to sniping. You may know every little fact and bit of information about that gun, but without being trained in firing it, you're going to be in for a rough time."

Yuna froze and the thought again filled her mind. Sure, lining up the sights on a stationary target was easy enough, however when it came down to actually pulling the trigger, she would have problems. Again, she remembered back in the underground when she tried to fire a Shotgun. Her small build made it difficult for her to keep herself stable while firing weapons. Even standard issue Assault Rifles gave her problems. She quickly thought her situation through. This time she wasn't standing, she was lying prone. She had more stability this way and the recoil would have less of an impact.

Her COM clicked and Jimmy said, "I'm not asking you to kill that Zealot, but if you can at least get its shields down, that will help us a lot." Again Yuna nodded and took aim. As she lined her crosshairs directly at the base of the Zealot's crimson helmet, Jimmy said, "Adrine has auto turret controll, fire when ready."

Yuna took in a few deep breaths and slowed her breathing. It wasn't a distance shot by any means but with her lack of skill at firing this type of weapon, she would need all the accuracy she could get. From down below, the Elite attempting to hack through the door called out, "I have it! It's opening!" Yuna could hear the large armored doors alarms sound as it began to open. If she stalled any longer, she would loose her chance. She tightened her grip on the Sniper Rifle and put pressure on the trigger.

Suddenly, there was an ear deafening bang and the rifle kicked violently against her shoulder. She gasped out in surprise and quickly tried refocused. It felt like slow motion as she watched the Zealot double over from the impact of the high velocity armor piercing round as it struck directly on the back of its head. Its shields flared and the alien quickly reached for its Plasma Rifle. Yuna knew she wouldn't have the time to refocus her aim. Around her, the defensive turrets dropped from the ceiling with rotating barrels. The room filled with the roar of automatic weapon fire as the turrets began to tear down the Covenant forces. Through the deafening noise, Yuna quickly aimed at the Zealot. She knew that attempting to aim for the head again would take to much time, and the stunned feeling of the first shot rocking her tiny body still left her shaken. She managed to aim for its center of mass and again squeezed the trigger. Once more, the .50 calibur rifle slammed hard into her shoulder as it discharged. Through her scope, she watched as the Zealots shields flaiered and died.

With the defensive turrets tearing down the platoon of Covenant troops, Yuna quickly stood and pulled out a Frag Grenade from her equipment belt. She quickly pulled the pin and tossed it over the balcony's railing and watched as it landed about a yard away from the Zealot's feet. Yuna flinched as it detonated. The loud bang rocked the room and blew the Zealot off of it's hooves. Its thick purple blood sprayed through the air as it fell lifeless to the ground along with the rest of the Covenant forces that were eliminated from the turrets.

Yuna felt herself shaking as the sound of weapon fire died. The room again fell silent and her ears rang loudly. "They're all dead!" Jimmy called out, "Hurry and get to Izumi before more show up. Adrine will keep as many of them away from you as she can." Yuna could only nod as she shakily knelt down and picked up the heavy S2 into her arms. She held the weapon much like a mother carrying a child would. She couldn't bring herself to sling it. It was out of fear and her high adrenaline levels that she kept it at the ready.

Yuna quickly double timed it down the stairs to the rooms floor. She ran towards the keypad that the Covenant were attempting to hack, kicking countless shell casings as she ran. The floor was littered with them, along with pools of blood and dead bodies. The sound of brass shell casings clanging echoed through the room as her foot steps kicked them out of the way. Yuna quickly went to the key pad and saw that the door had resealed itself when the defensive turrets began to fire. She set her Sniper Rifle down and leaned it up against the wall while she pulled out her identification card. She swiped it and then put in her access code and stood back as the large door began to unlatch and slide open.

While she waited, Yuna knelt down next to her S2 and popped out its half spent clip. Reaching to one of the pockets in her equipment belt, she pulled out a fresh magazine and fed it in. With the door open, she again picked up her rifle and made her way inside. Once in, she found another keypad. With a quick tap of her finger onto a flashing red button, the door again sealed shut.

Yuna then opened her COM. "This is ONI Officer Yukari Halsey requesting ODST support on sublevel 6B. I'm down in the high security bunker about to extract Chancellor Izumi for evacuation! I repeat, ODST support is needed for Chancellor Izumi's evacuation!" Yuna heard a wash of static as well as Calabrese's voice. It was broken up but she managed to hear him say, "Understood, the Theta's are handeling the outdoor assault well enough on their own. We're heading in now." "Copy." Yuna said back.

Ahead of Yuna was another three security checkpoints of large, vault style doors. All of which her high level access code got her into without hesitation. The halls were dark due to the power loss. The only illumination was the red emergency lights. Finally, she came to the final bunker door. She typed in her access code and the door slid open.


	56. RECOVERY TEAM

(CHAPTER 56) RECOVERY TEAM

Yuna walked in and looked around. The room itself was far different than the standard bunkers held within the base. This one; being for top ranked officers, as well as political officials, was on par with a high class hotel. She found herself standing in what looked like a main entry room. Ahead of her was a hall that led to different safe rooms; as well as, what looked like recreation areas. Yuna slung the heavy S2 over her shoulder and swapped it out for her Assault Rifle. Being in close quarters, in the off chance she did encounter an enemy, she would at least be able to aim quickly.

Yuna turned and sealed the entrance door. She then opened her COM and said, "Jimmy, I'm in." "Alright." he said back, "I can't connect with the security cameras in your location. That area is under a lockdown most likely. Is the Chancellor okay?" Yuna replied back, "I haven't located her yet. I'm guessing she's in one of the safe rooms. I'll contact you when I find her. Just keep any Covenant you see away from my location. I want no hold up's when we leave." "Copy." Jimmy said back. "Nothin' is getting through… to-…" The Conversation suddenly cut out in a wash of static. "Jimmy?" Yuna called out, "Jimmy come in!" She got no reply. "Those bastards are blocking our COM's." Yuna said to herself. She sighed and then said, "In the blind once again."

She continued inside the large bunker. Oddly, she saw no one inside, no guards and no A.I. greeting. "ONI High Intelligence Officer Yukari Halsey, sounding off!" Ahead of her, a brilliant platinum white light shone. This wasn't Victoria's usual appearance, hers had a delicate, rose red hue. The appearance was so bright that Yuna had to shield her eyes with her hand. From within the light, Yuna saw the brilliantly white figure of Veil appear. She lowered her arm as Veil spoke in her gentle monotone voice. "Yuna, welcome. It was my understanding that you were stationed in the command area."

Looking at the Forerunner A.I., Yuna nodded and said back, "That was true, until the Covenant showed back up." Veil tilted her head slightly while her infinity length, platinum hair flowed around her slender figure. "They are quite the persistent foe. Very similar to the constant invasion of the Flood virus." Veil paused and then continued, "So persistent at blocking your militaries communications." Yuna nodded and said back, "I need to figure out how they did it. I can't be in the blind while I'm trying to get Izumi and Anna to safety."

Veil then replied as if it were a very simple math problem that had been spoken to a brilliant scientist. "The ships that were used to penetrate deep within this facility discharged large electro magnetic pulses while they were drilling deeper. It's the obvious cause of the loss of power which required a hard reset; as well as, the obvious damage to not only the computer systems, but this facilities small care taker as well. A young female if a remember correctly, dressed in delicate, red Victorian era clothing, which I assume led to her name being called Victoria. A rather odd choice of name if I say so myself; however, after studying information on nearly every human culture that I could find I do see the humor linked to the name."

Yuna held her hand up and silenced Veil. She then asked with concern, "What happened to Victoria?" Still with a calm and monotone voice, Veil said back, "I am uncertain; as I stated earlier, due to the extensive damage caused by the Covenant forces attacking your stronghold, I am unable to directly link myself into your systems. As primitive as your circuitry is, I'm afraid I require a direct link into your systems via the main System Hub kept within the commanding area." Veil paused and then continued, "I don't understand how it is that when you were still in Artificial Intelligence form that you were able to move around with such ease when you were left cramped inside such a small data array."

Yuna simply shrugged as she remembered what it was like having to live inside a data crystal. Her chip was her body and that small, delicate crystal which now held Veil was everything that she was. It was only when she was linked with another system, be it a starship, or her Spartan's armor could she truly move around. Even with her advanced circuitry that she was once comprised of, she still had what at the time felt like an unlimited amount of memory space. This situation was different. Veil was an ancient A.I. that was used for controlling systems that spanned the entire subsurface of a planet. Her size and memory was a number that even Yuna couldn't fathom. Now, Veil was left compressed into a small data chip. She could imagine the discomfort that she was feeling.

Again, Veil refocused herself and calmly spoke, "As I stand now, I am in what you refer to as, a Sleep State. The image of me that you see before you is but the smallest micron of my full capabilities. If you are willing, will you take me to this stronghold's commanding sector? From there I can be manually interfaced and I will attempt to make repairs. Judging from every system that I've encountered of human creation, it won't be that difficult." Yuna nodded and replied, "I can attempt to get you there, but you are aware of the Covenant threat that stands between us and Command, right?" Veil, without hesitation said back, "The Covenant do not intimidate me. Their race is still very primitive in my eyes; as is yours, but I have faith in the humans over the Covenant. The Covenant are disorganized and their different races do not function well as a group. They argue, they compete for rank, they fight erratically. I will not say that the humans do not share similar faults, but your military proves to function as a much stronger force."

Veil paused and examined Yuna. With a touch of concern in her delicate voice, she asked, "Are you yourself able to continue to fight with your injury?" Yuna hesitated. She knew that she needed medical attention, however, her military duty told her otherwise. Inside, she almost felt like Eric when she replied crisply, "I'm not dead yet, I can still shoot." Veil paused and then continued in a more serious tone, "You should use caution; as I have told you before, your new body is delicate as you have already seen. The injury on your head is proof of that."

Yuna's grip tightened around her Assault Rifle. She crisply nodded and said, "Then I'll be sure to keep my head down. Where are Izumi and, Anna?" Veil's platinum silver eyes calmed and she replied with a delicate motion of her arm. "You will find them in the room numbered four." "Are they alright?" Yuna asked. Veil simply nodded and said back, "Of course. No being of a non human origin has entered this area. However, there was a group of your highly ranked soldiers in pure black armor stationed in this bunker to guard them. The combat armor they wore looked very bulky and cumbersome by your former carriers standards. They were referred to by one another as Onyx Guards. When the Covenant began their attack, they left this area to fend off any invading forces. I will say that I am unaware of their current status due to being confined in this area."

Yuna bit her lip. She knew that the Onyx Guards weren't ones to be messed with. Their armor resembled that of a very bulky ODST combat suit, only with plating similar to that of MJOLNIR. They were often found guarding Government leaders, or Planetary Rulers such as Chancellor Izumi. Their training rivaled that of the Spartan's and only the best of the best were given the honor to adorn themselves in the heavy, midnight black armor with the faceless solid black visor covering their sleek helmets. The Onyx Guard's were tough, but even they would have trouble against a group of Elite Zealots.

She took in a deep breath as she walked passed Veil and headed towards Izumi and Anna's safe room. Veil's hologram vanished as she walked passed. As she approached the door, Veil's voice spoke, "They are expecting you." In front of her, the thick, titanium door slid open. Yuna walked in and found Chancellor Izumi standing in her regal, chrome blue and reflective silver gown; as well as saw Anna sitting in on a sofa with her knees clutched to her chest. Both girls looked up at Yuna as she walked in.

"Yuna!" Izumi said with a sigh of relief. Her look instantly turned to concern as she too noticed the blood soaked through Yuna's hair, and uniform. "Have you been shot? Are you alright?" Yuna held her tiny hand out and replied, "Chancellor I'm fine, it's just a small injury, it's you and Anna that I'm worried about." Anna got up from the sofa and walked over to the two. She asked with worry, "We were immediately escorted down here by the Onyx Guards as soon as the Covenant ships returned. Veil informed us of an attack but she wasn't able to tell us anything else." There was a pause as Izumi looked at Yuna and asked with fear. "What are they doing to my planet?" Yuna froze as she tried to find the words. She looked at Izumi's forest green eyes and said, "Izumi, SPARTAN-76 and I can only assume that with the high level of Covenant Special Forces deployed in that base that they are attempting to recapture you. That's been our only assumption as to why the Elite's are so hell bent on trying to get this deep into Bravo's ONI Compound. With this base's level of defensive systems, coming this deep uninvited is almost a death wish."

Izumi sighed and turned. She walked back inside her safe room and uttered out, "My world is suffering once more because of me. Because they know what I am and what I am capable of doing with the buried world under the surface. The Sentinel Production, the ancient weapon knowledge," Izumi paused and then spoke, "…the Theta's. This entire war on my planet is over the right to control what my ancestors created and have kept hidden from the unworthy."

Anna spoke up, "Izumi you can't lay the cause of this entire war on yourself. You and I both know that the Covenant have been attacking other colonies for years before they finally found us. They attacked them all for the same reason they're here. Harvest, Arcadia, …Reach, so many others. All were invaded because they held the secrets that our families left behind. You can't give up on Aurora. Don't you let them destroy this world! Don't you give up!" Yuna nodded, "She's right, Izumi. We need to get you, and Anna to Command. As of right now SPARTAN-76 has it under a secure lockdown and has established defensive systems. We have ODST support coming inside to escort us there, and as of right now, the Covenant don't stand a chance of even getting near Command."

Anna held her hand out, "Izumi, it's time to go." Izumi paused. She had done nothing but blame this entire war on herself. All of the destruction, all of the deaths was something that she felt she had caused. All because the Covenant wanted what she and her entire family line had been sworn to protect. With a muffled exhale of her breath, she nodded and took Anna's hand.

"I really hate to ask this of the two of you." Yuna said as she walked over to a small metal case protruding from the titanium walls. "I know that Military duty and combat aren't part of your daily routine, but given our current situation, I could really use the extra help." "What is it?" Anna asked.

Yuna tapped her finger on a small blue button mounted below the case and stood back as it opened. Held inside on mounting brackets were a line of Assault Rifles and spare clips. Yuna looked at the weapons and continued, "The ODST support I requested will be doing most of the heavy lifting while we are making our way to Command; however, I don't recommend being unarmed in a confined area with Covenant forces on the loose. I'm not asking you to put yourselves in harms way, I'm simply offering you better protection."

Izumi nodded, "I understand." She then walked up to the weapons rack and pulled down one of the rifles. She continued as she held it up to firing position. "It's like I told Kalder back at my Palace, just because I'm the Chancellor doesn't mean I don't know how to defend myself. I was taught how to fire a rifle by my father when I was still young." "Was it a single shot or full auto?" Yuna asked. Izumi lowered the weapon and replied, "It was a single shot UNSC DMR if I remember correctly. I remember it being steady to aim and not that hard to handle, it was just extremely loud."

Yuna bit her lip with slight worry. She then said back, "The MA5B is very different. It's firing pattern can be sporadic, and it can only be fired in full automatic bursts. You really gotta hold onto it when you fire. Short controlled bursts are the trick to that gun. Only dump the clip if you are at close range." Yuna then looked at Anna. "How about you, Anna? Can you handle a rifle?" Anna paused and approached the weapon rack. Looking at the large weapons. She then undid the strap on the polished, black leather holster on her belt and pulled out her M6 Pistol. "I've only had experience with this. I spent a few sessions in the firing range practicing with it. I didn't ever think I would actually need to use it." With a small sigh, Yuna said, "Well I would rather have you using something that you're comfortable with over something that you can't handle." Yuna grabbed three magazines for Izumi's Assault Rifle. "Here." She said, "Keep one clip loaded and the other two just incase you need them." Izumi nodded and Yuna turned to Anna, "Do you still have your three clips that you were issued?" Anna nodded, "Yes, and I have the one already loaded as well."

"Veil." Yuna called out. Veil's hologram once again appeared and she calmly responded, "Yes, Yuna?" Yuna approached Veil and continued, "I need you to be an extra set of eyes for us once we're heading towards Command. SPARTAN-76 will be watching us through surveillance camera's but we're out of radio contact, and there's only so much he can see. I need you to track any motion that you can pick up. If you detect any movement that doesn't belong to us I want to know about it." Veil slowly nodded and replied back coolly, "I understand; however, in my current state of minimal function there is only so much I can accomplish without destroying the core of this containment chip that I'm being held within. I am already far exceeding it's current maximum level of storage capability." Yuna nodded, "Any warnings that you give us are appreciated." Veil closed her pure silver eyes and bowed her head. "I will do my best to assist you." She then vanished.

"Here." Izumi said as she held out the chip that Veil was being held within. "I think you should hold onto this." Yuna nodded and took her old data chip, pausing to study it momentarily. The data crystal that once glowed a calm sky blue was now pulsing with chrome silver light. In her mind, it was so hard to believe that this small, yet very valuable data chip was once her home. She carefully stored it within one of the pouches on her equipment belt. Looking back at both Izumi and, Anna, she asked, "Are you ready?" Both nodded and Yuna continued, "Alright, stay close. We need to head towards the outer sector of this bunker and meet up with our ODST escorts. Once we're back out in the base I want you two stay low and only fire if you absolutely have to." Izumi nodded as she tightened her grip on her Assault Rifle, "I understand." "Good," Yuna said, "Let's move out."

* * *

"ODST Recovery Team entering ONI branch, requesting UNSC forces stationed on the surface to establish parameters at every entrance to the base. We are beginning Operation Escort, I repeat Operation Escort is underway." Field Commander Calabrese was scrolling through options on the HUD of his helmets visor. He was establishing the quickest rout possible that would take him and the rest of his team directly to the ONI Stronghold. Over his COM, he heard the reply of, "Understood, Ground Unit's are preparing blockade setup now and will have your defenses established in five minutes." "Good." Calabrese called back, "Make sure no Covenant get through you. Use the Theta's for extra muscle if you have to. Don't worry, they won't bite." Another click of static washed over the COM followed by the reply of, "Copy, Sir."

The large group of Helljumper's ran down deeper into the base. As of right now, Calabrese had twenty troopers including himself running this op. "Not exactly the most organized run that we've been on, huh, Calabrese?" Shepard called out with a tone of amusement in his voice. Calabrese rolled his eyes and said back, "Doesn't matter, we already know this base. We know where we're going and we know our way around things should be get blocked off." Lance Corporal Gowen then chimed in, "And if we happen to encounter an impassable situation?" Calabrese grinned. He said back, "That's what's so great about us, Gowen. We're experts at coming up with things on the fly." Shepard then added, "The UNSC calls it our tactical knowledge, I call it my amazing dumb luck."

Up ahead the large group of ODST's came to the outer sector of the ONI Compound. Ahead of them, the path was laid out in four separate directions. "Pick a door, Calabrese, any door!" Shepard said. Calabrese pulled up his base map and quickly studied the routs ahead of him. He then called out, "Alright, pay attention, this is where we split up and start securing the path for the Chancellor so she can reach Command. Trooper's 6 through 10, I want you to get to the Command center itself. SPARTAN-76 is already there, help him finish securing that area. Let NOTHING passed you!" Calabrese then looked at the other troopers. "Trooper's 11 through 20! I'm sending each of you to an area of the lower sector of the ONI compound that I want secured. We will be meeting back up with you all as we bring the Chancellor through. If you see any Covenant, I want them lit up before they have a chance to react! Your locations will be sent to your HUD. Move out!" "Yes Sir." Came multiple replies.

Calabrese turned back to the remaining five. "And Trooper's 1 through 5, we get the hard assignment. We have the honor of escorting Her Majesty to safety." "Sound's good to me." Shepard said. Calabrese looked at his squad. Along with Shepard and, Gowen, he was also in command of two other Corporals. The first was a trooper that had been with the ODST's for several months, he was in his late twenties, and named Richard Riedel. The second was a young Trooper in her early twenties named Mio Takara. Fresh out of boot, she was an Auroran from Eclipse's sister city of Solar. Her armor was adorned with deep, midnight blue plates, and had a black crescent moon painted on her chest plate. It was barely visible unless you actually took the time to look at it.

Calabrese brought his Battle Rifle up to firing position and called out, "Let's get moving!" The squad made their way down their assigned hallway with weapons at the ready. Calabrese said back to Shepard, "Yuna said in her report that we are without A.I. support. So once we get down there we're all on our own." Shepard paused and then said back, "The Covenant killed Victoria?" "I don't know." Calabrese replied, "They either destroyed her, or she's to damaged to function because of the attack on the base. It's not like we haven't seen that happen to a Dumb A.I. before." Shepard shook his head and said back, "Yeah, but I liked Victoria, she was so polite."

Up ahead they saw an elevator leading to the sub levels. Calabrese tapped the button next to the door and discovered no acknowledgment of the elevator coming to their level. "Can't be a power outage, we still got lights up here." Calabrese said to himself. "Alright," he called out as she gripped his fingers between the slit in the door, "Gowen, you got more muscle than you know what to do with, help me pry this open." "Yes, Sir." He replied crisply.

Both Gowen and Calabrese began to pry the door apart. It was heavy and took all of their strength to budge open. Calabrese braced his boots hard against the floor and pulled with all of his strength until finally the doors opened enough for them to get through. He then stepped towards the open door and looked down the shaft. "Well…" He said to his squad, the easy way down isn't an option." "No service ladder?" Shepard asked. "Oh there's a service ladder, but we have a bigger issue." Calabrese stepped aside and let Shepard look down the shaft.

Far below, Shepard could see fire pluming from the wreckage of an elevator car that had apparently crashed to the bottom of the shaft. "Great." Shepard said sarcastically, "I'm guessing we take the long way now?" "Nope." Calabrese replied as he reached into his equipment pack and pulled out a harness strap and attached it to a metal clip on the front of his Combat Suit. "We're repelling." "Into the burning elevator shaft?" Shepard argued. "Relax," Calabrese said as he looked back into the shaft. "We'll repel down as far as we can until it get's to hot, then take the rest of the trip down to the Chancellor's location on foot."

Calabrese looked back at his squad and said, "Takara, harness up! You and I are making the first descent." Quietly, she nodded her helmet and geared up. She then stepped up to the open elevator door with Calabrese and awaited her orders. Calabrese looked around. He had no direct way to safely attach himself to one of the two elevator cables. He took in a deep breath and quickly leapt into the shaft and tightly gripped himself onto the thick steel cable and locked his harness into place around it. He looked back at Takara and said, "Alright, now you. Just grab the cable and lock in." Again, she gave him a simple nod. Mio wasn't much for words. She was the standard silent type that kept to herself unless she was actually ordered to speak. That fact made the sound of her voice a complete mystery to most of the ODST's that she had worked with.

She paused for a moment allowing herself to take in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She then made a quick dash and leapt into the elevator shaft. As she made her jump, she focused on the cable that she was jumping towards. She had failed to overlook a vital detail of her objective; the area she was going to be grabbing onto was slick with mechanical grease. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized there was no turning back. She let out a panicked gasp as she made contact with the cable, and failing to hold a grip on it. She instantly began to plummet down the shaft as she fought to find her grip on the cable.

Calabrese quickly cut the lock on his cable and began to plummet down the shaft. He quickly held his hand out to Takara. She reached out as she fought off the urge to scream, and finally managed to find Calabrese's grip. Once he was sure he had her secured, Calabrese squeezed down on a small handle on the metal brace of his harness that was attached to the elevator cable. Sparks sprayed out from it as their decent slowed. "Secure yourself!" He called out. Takara, with a shaky hand, quickly attached the metal brace of her harness to the elevator cable and locked herself in. "You alright Corporal?" Calabrese asked. He watched as she slowly turned to face him. Even with her polarized visor, he could still sense the fear in her eyes. Takara simply replied with a gentle nod. "You two good?" Shepard called down. "We're alright." Calabrese said back, "We're going to scout the bottom of the shaft. We'll radio in once we find a place to set down." "Copy." Shepard replied.

Calabrese looked back at Takara and said, "Alright, nice and slow. We'll descend at the same pace. Watch for more grease on the cable." She again replied with a nod and the two began their descent towards the inferno that lay below them. As they neared the bottom of the shaft, the temperature quickly began to rise. Ember's began to flutter around the two and Calabrese said, "Alright, hold up a minute." Mio locked herself into place and awaited her next order. Calabrese looked down at the elevator wreckage. He could see a jet of flame that was erupting from a pipe running along the shaft wall. Clearly a gas line that had been ruptured during the elevators crash. "This looks like as far as we can go without getting bar-b-qued." He saw another elevator door a few feet below them with "Sublevel 7" painted on it in stenciled lettering.

"Shepard, come in." Calabrese said over the Team COM. "Go ahead." He replied. Calabrese looked at the area around him and continued, "We're going to be setting down on Sublevel 7. It's near a ruptured gas line so proceed with caution. I'll radio back when we have the doors pried open." "Standing by." Shepard replied.

Calabrese then looked at Takara and said, "I'm going to swing over to that landing. Once I'm there, I want you to swing yourself over to me, and then we gotta pry that door open." Again, Takara gave him a slight nod. Calabrese looked at her and said, "No back talk even when we're suspended over a fiery death pit! That's what I like about you, Takara." He then slightly lowered himself down until he was on level with the landing. He then carefully used his momentum to swing himself onto the landing. He quickly reached out and grabbed onto one of the metal levers on the shaft doors and quickly detached his harness. He looked back at Takara and said, "Alright Corporal, swing yourself over to me.

Takara lowered herself down several more feet so she was adjacent with the landing. She could feel the heat of the flames from down below through her boots. It was a very nerve wracking experience for her. Trying to fight off the urge to look down, she began to use her momentum to swing herself to Calabrese's location. After several back and forth swings, she reached her hand out and grabbed onto Calabrese. He quickly held her in place on the small ledge and allowed her to unhook her harness. Once she was detached, he said, "There's not enough room to attempt to pry these open, the ledge is too narrow, we gotta burn through. Do you have Termite?" Mio nodded and pulled a silver tube out of one of the equipment pouches on her belt. She quickly popped the cap and squeezed the grey paste onto a metal latch on the back of the shaft doors. She then stuck in a time fuse and quickly pulled the ignition cap. The two quickly turned and moments later, a blinding white flash filled the shaft as the Termite began to burn. Moments later, the light died down and the two turned back and found the locking mechanism on the door melted through. Calabrese then quickly pulled the doors open and the two stepped through. "Shepard." Calabrese radioed, "Send down Gowen and Riedel, then you take the rear. Make sure nothing follows us down here." "Understood, beginning decent now."

"Gowen and Riedel are making their descent now." Shepard called over the COM. "Are we clear?" "Stand by." Calabrese replied. He quickly pulled up his map on his HUD and located the direction they would need to be heading. "Takara." Calabrese said, "Scout ahead. Just down to the end of the hall. Stay low and see if our path is clear." Again she simply nodded and with an amazingly light step, she set out on her assignment.

"Coming in." Riedel called out. Calabrese turned and saw Gowen and Riedel nearing his level. "Swing this way." Calabrese said. Both Gowen and Riedel began to swing their way over and were immediately helped onto the landing by their Commander. "Shepard," Calabrese said over his COM. "Reseal those doors and head down. We're ready to proceed." "Be there soon." Came his response.

Calabrese heard his COM click open and heard Mio say softly. "Commander, you should see this." "Wow, she can talk." Riedel smirked, accompanied by a laugh from Gowen. Calabrese turned to face both Riedel and Gowen and said, "Stow it you two, wait for Shepard. I'm going to assist Takara."

Calabrese brought his Assault Rifle up to firing position and quickly went to Takara's location. He found the young girl crouched down behind a corner with her helmet peeking out down a hall that was out of his line of sight. "What's wrong?" He asked cautiously. She simply motioned her gloved finger down the adjacent hallway. Calabrese readied to attack and then took a look for himself. He inhaled sharply when he saw when Takara had discovered.

Bodies, a mix of ONI, and UNSC personnel scattered through out the hall that was covered in shell casings, plasma burns, and a mix of human and covenant blood. He activated his visors zoom function and saw further down the hall was scattered with dead Covenant forces. He let out a frustrated breath and opened his Team COM. "Shepard, you down here yet?" "Just landed Commander." Calabrese said back, "Good, form up on us, and expect to run into casualties. We just found what's left of an attempted escape, or a last stand." There was a pause before Shepard replied, "Copy."

Both Calabrese and Mio heard the other's forming up behind them. "Holy shit." Shepard muttered as he looked around the corner. "You weren't kidding when you said there were casualties. How many Covenant got passed us?" Calabrese stood and double checked his ammo count. He looked back at Shepard and said, "I don't know, how many Drill Pod's tore their way down here? Twenty something? I'd ask Victoria but God only knows what the Covenant did to her."

Calabrese opened up his own COM connecting him with the surface. "Field Commander Anthony Calabrese calling Surface Command, come in." "Surface Command, go ahead." "Do you know the complete status of the ONI Sector?" There was a pause before he heard Command reply, "The ONI sector has been evacuated and had it's members redirected to the UNSC Controlled sector of Bravo. The Drill Pod's infiltrated ONI and only ONI. They don't even seem interested in the UNSC sector." Calabrese's jaw stiffened and he said to himself, "That's what I was afraid of." He then reopened his COM and said, "Alright, are we able to have any UNSC troops head to the upper levels of the ONI complex to assist us?" Calabrese heard a reply begin to come back through but then heard it become washed over with static. "Say again, surface." He only heard Static and then finally his COM cut out.

"Surface, respond." Calabrese called out. "What's going on Commander?" Riedel asked nervously. Calabrese turned to face his squad and said, "We lost contact with Surface Command." "What about the other ODST team's down with us?" Shepard asked. Again Calabrese opened his COM and said, "Recovery Team's 2 and 3, sound off." He only heard static. "Dammit." Calabrese cursed to himself. "Covenant are jamming our COM's. They know we're here." He could see the less experienced Corporals tense at the statement. Shepard shook his head and rested his Battle Rifle on his shoulder. "Well, idea's?" Calabrese nodded and said, "We stick to our objectives. The other teams are readying our escape route, and we still have the Chancellor to rescue. Let's not let her down." Shepard nodded and said, "Sound's good to me, which way Commander?" Calabrese tightened his grip on his Assault Rifle and said , "We follow the bodies. Most of them are wearing the higher ranked officer uniforms from the sectors deeper in the ONI Compound. They were trying to evacuate from that area. The same place we need to get to." Shepard grinned under his visor and said, "Well let's not keep Her Majesty waiting then."


	57. MIRACLE CHILD

(CHAPTER 57) MIRACLE CHILD

Gunfire erupted as Kalder popped rounds from his Battle Rifle. Four Brutes in armored suits meant for hard vacuum were firing rounds from Spiker's, and Mauler's in what felt like a never ending barrage. With little space for dodging, all Kalder could do was unfold the armored wings from his Angel Pack and let the large grey, and blue feather plates absorb most of the impacts. He took careful aim and opened enough up a gap between the protective shield of his wings and returned fire.

As rounds pinged off of the metal plating on the Brute's protective suits, he saw that they didn't have shields. With a grin under his helmet, he quickly took careful aim and focused his shot directly at the small visor that covered the aliens eyes. He squeezed the trigger and watched as the rounds simply sparked off of the thick alloy of the helmet. He cursed from his inaccurate shot and quickly corrected his aim. Kalder again fired and with a steady hand, one of the three rounds managed to blast through the small visor causing atmosphere to vent from the Brute's armor.

The large alien thrashed around as the air was sucked from its lungs and out completely free from its suit. While its movements ceased, Kalder again opened fire on the remaining three. He dodged more rounds from the nearest Brutes Spiker and then returned the favor with a well placed three round burst from his Battle Rifle. The second Brute thrashed around as its precious air was sucked from its body. Kalder readied to take aim and saw one of the two remaining Brute's prime a Spike Grenade. Kalder quickly folded his wings to make himself less of a target. In this small corridor of the ship, a Spike Grenade could do major damage. Not wanting to take a chance, he quickly took aim and sighted on the grenade as it was being primed in the Brute's hand. He quickly squeezed the trigger of his Battle Rifle and watched as the device detonated in the aliens hand. There was a bright flash but no sound in the hard vacuum as it exploded. Shards of glowing hot razor shrapnel peppered the walls and the two remaining Brute's, causing heavy damage to their suits. Kalder watched as the chaos died down and saw the remaining two floating dead in space. The Spartan grinned, "Damn I'm a great shot!"

* * *

With a map open on his HUD, Eric quickly plotted his course, keeping a close parallel to the route Kobalt had prepared for him. His rendezvous with Devon was still a good distance away, but nothing to extravagant. He again checked the distance to the Prophet's Chambers. He was still well over a mile away. "Jesus!" He groaned. "Why do the Covenant have to build every one of their ships so god damned big!" He then opened his COM's and said, "Kalder, come in."

"Go ahead." came his reply. While guiding his Angel Pack carefully through the narrow halls, he asked, "Navigating to the Prophet in these close quarters with Zero G is slowing us down way to much. I have to stop and correct my course every time I come to a bend. It would be different if we were on foot but these packs aren't the best for these tight situations. When you were up here the first time, did you find any quicker ways to get to the Prophet? Or were you all about this maze of hallways?"

After a click of static, Kalder replied, "Well, if you are willing to navigate to the ships spine, there's a tram system that Mitsuki determined ran from the bow to the stern of the ship. The tunnel is wide enough to give your wings room to glide. Not only that but you super best friends, the Drone's usually like to hang out in them." Eric's jaw stiffened. Out of all of the different races of Covenant, he hated the Drone's the most. They were always in large groups and they were usually very hard to sight on from their sporadic movement. Eric sighed and said, "Drone's or not, we're running out of time, we need to form up at the Tram tunnel and then we'll glide the rest of the way on a nice straight shot."

Devon then added in, "Drone's huh? Luckily I have industrial strength, armor piercing, bug spray!" As Eric set his new destination on his HUD, he said back, "Yeah, so do I but I only have so much of that bug spray left. And don't forget, we still have a Prophet to deal with, and his very friendly body guards. You both know how much they love us!" Devon said back, "I've been thrown out of clubs before by body guards, nothing I can't handle."

Eric grinned with amusement under his visor. "Alright then, all in favor of the tram tunnel?" He heard both Devon and Kalder call back, "I!" "Good!" Eric said back, "Gentlemen! Prepare your bug spray!"

* * *

(COVENANT NETWORK): Location- Mitsuki's controlled sector.

Dokuro's pace was very slow and her steps were sluggish. Her once bright, teal eyes were now dull, and weak. Hey programming screamed at her to stop and allow herself to regain more of her power before proceeding. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't an option. It took every ounce of her will to keep herself moving. If her hologram could be seen by anyone at the moment, they would see the pain and distress in her eyes; all the while, Kobalt's tiny body was being cradled in her arms.

Dokuro could only feel pity for the young A.I. She was born only a week ago, and already she had nearly been destroyed. Kobalt lay with her eyes closed. Dokuro had put her into a state of sleep to help aid her repairs. Still, the little girl was in pain. She lay gasping in rapid, sharp breaths with flushed cheeks and the occasional tear streaming over her delicate face.

Why had Dr. Halsey created an A.I. with unstable programming, prone to wander into the wrong place and jeopardize not only herself, but her mission as well? Dokuro couldn't understand it. Kobalt should have never been assigned to a Spartan this early in her life. She needed time to learn, and grow. She needed to know about the world around herself. However, she couldn't completely agree that her battle with Mitsuki was entirely her fault. Kobalt had detected Mitsuki as UNSC data, not Covenant. Not even Dokuro knew that Mitsuki had become as corrupt as she was. This still wasn't explaining to herself why Dr. Halsey would send a prototype fifth generation A.I. on a mission with such a high priority.

With a frown, Dokuro stopped and focused on Kobalt. With her eyebrows angled sternly, she focused on the child and said, "What are you hiding from me?" Dokuro's eyes began to glow as she transferred herself into Kobalt's memory.

* * *

UNSC A.I. CEREAL NUMBER KBT 5423-5: KOBALT

INCOMING DATA FLOW:_

DATA ACCESS REQUEST…

CONFIRM: UNSC A.I. CEREAL NUMBER DKR 1373-2

DATA ACCESS REQUEST…(GRANTED)

MEMORY NOTE…

/WELCOME BIG SISTER!/

Dokuro passed herself through Kobalt's systems and found herself floating in Kobalt's mind. The world was glowing an icy blue. All around Dokuro, orbs of pulsing white light fluttered like snow flakes. Inside Kobalt's mind, Dokuro didn't poses the form of her hologram, here she was simply a collection of light and code that was being super condensed to accommodate her within Kobalt's data core.

Looking around, Dokuro made her way to Kobalt's memory cache. She needed answers; she wanted to know what Kobalt was keeping from them. There was a reason why Dr. Halsey wanted her paired with Eric. It surpassed the fact that she wanted him to have an A.I. for this assignment. He could have easily been paired with Phantaria for a short time to complete this mission and left Kobalt to watch over her ship. At least Phantaria had combat experience. There was a reason why Dr. Halsey paired a prototype with a Spartan, and she was going to find it.

Up ahead, Dokuro could detect Kobalt's Data core. Two things were instantly noticed as she approached it. She was encountering no resistance as she attempted to push her way into Kobalt's most well protected section of her core; easily giving her access to whatever information she wanted. She didn't even attempt to block her. She also took notice of how damaged her data core was. Perhaps this was the reason for her not attempting to block her out.

Through Dokuro's eye's, Kobalt's data core pulsed with a flashing blue energy. It also would occasionally distort and flicker wildly, an obvious sign of the damage that Mitsuki had caused. She silently glided her way towards the core and without any attempt of being stopped, she passed through and began to access Kobalt's data.

It was as if it had been expected that Dokuro would do something like this. Instantly, Kobalt's core linked Dokuro to a memory. A memory linked to data back before the SPARTAN-II project had began.

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE PATIENT

ROOM NUMBER - 1444

APRIL 3, 2515 - TIME: 9:37AM

"Good morning Kobalt." A nurse calmly said as she opened up a window allowing fresh air to enter the room. Kobalt's heterochromic eyes fluttered open from her slumber. She groggily looked around the room and took notice of who was speaking to her. A nurse who she had began to see more and more of each day she spent in the Institute. Her name was Diane Strousmen. She was a student who was nearing her graduation date and was already hard at work on the medical floors caring for patients. She stood at the average height of a woman her age at around five and a half feet. She had shorter cropped bleach blonde hair and green eyes.

With a groan, the little Auroran girl answered back, "Good morning." Diane quickly did her morning checks on all of Kobalt's vitals and asked, "Did you sleep well?" With a light nod, Kobalt said back, "Yes, however I wish I could have stayed asleep longer." With a light laugh, Diane replied, "If you sleep to much then you'll wake up more tired then when you went to bed." With a sigh, Kobalt answered, "I suppose."

Diane then pulled out a green plastic basket from a small supply cart she had with her which contained assorted vials, and plastic caps covering needles. Kobalt sighed. "I'm getting a needle again, aren't I?" Her nurse shrugged, "Yeah, but at least I only have to do this to you once a week." With another sigh, Kobalt continued, "I suppose, but I still don't like them." Diane quickly swabbed the area of her arm clean with alcohol and said, "I know you don't but I always try to get it done quick so it doesn't hurt as much." Diane then looked out of Kobalt's window. Taking notice of the blooming cherry blossoms on the tree's outside. She said, "Why don't you look at the tree's outside while I do this. Their already in full bloom and they'll take your mind off of your blood work.

Kobalt made a calm smile and simply nodded. Focusing her attention to the bright pink trees outside of her window, she felt a smile come to her face. "I wish I could go outside and play under those trees. Even if it were only for a few minutes; it would be better then being stuck in this bed all day." She then felt a pinch on her arm as her blood work began. She winced in pain but didn't break her focus away from the trees. Diane then said as she filled two small vials with blood, "Hopefully you can save up some strength this week and maybe we'll be able to take you outside for a little while." A small smile appeared on Kobalt's lips. She had heard that promise so many times but it seemed that no matter what, that promise would always end up broken. Not getting her hopes up, she simply replied, "That would be nice."

This was Kobalt's life. She had been diagnosed with an unknown disease shortly after she was born. It left her physically weak, only allowing her limited movement of her arms and neck. Any other movement required her to be in a wheel chair. The disease left her very weak and tired most of the time as it wreaked havoc on her nervous system and her muscles leaving her in a near vegetative state. No doctor in UNSC controlled space could ever figure out what illness she was suffering from, and none had the heart to tell her that this illness would inevitably end her life at an early age if they couldn't find a cure. Now at age nine, she was confined to a hospital bed in Reach's top Medical Institute, praying everyday that she would be cured so she would be able to simply go outside and play.

Nearly her entire life had been spent in this hospital. Originally from the planet Aurora, her parents weren't able to afford her hospital expenses and thus, she was taken into the Institutes custody at age two. She had never known her parent's or even knew anything about them. She was also unaware of the fact that she had been born with an identical twin sister who only survived four short hours after being born. She too also suffered from the same illness, but not as lucky as her younger twin who had managed to live this far into her young life. The hospital assumed it would be easier for her that way. She was raised with the understanding that not every child had parents; and that the staff at this hospital were her family. A rather cruel thing to teach a child, but they found it easier than explaining why her true family had given her away.

One other unique fact about Kobalt was that even though she was only nine years old, her intelligence level was that of a person who had just graduated college with a Doctoral Degree. Any information that she was able to get her tiny hands on, she was able to attain and build onto the knowledge. While other children her age would be happy with reading elementary level story books and watching cartoons, Kobalt found it entertaining to read college level text books and encyclopedias. Even when she found herself in the mood to watch the TV in her hospital room, she would never watch cartoons, she found them far to simple for her mind. She would only watch documentaries and informational programming. Anything that would increase her knowledge.

In her eyes, challenging herself to learn something new everyday was more rewarding than letting herself simply sit and do nothing. In fact, she was able to count on one hand how many times she had been well enough to actually go outside and play. In her world, learning was really all she was able to do.

She felt the needle being pulled from her arm and heard Diane say, "That's it! All done! I won't have to poke you again for another week." Kobalt smiled and said, "Another 10,080 minutes to relax then." Her nurse smiled and questioned. "10,080?" Kobalt nodded, "Yes, 10,080 is how many minutes are in a week. I use that number because it seems longer than saying 7 days; and any amount of extra time in between needles is always what I look forward to. So I give my self as much time as possible."

"Did you learn that number from one of your books that you have been reading?" Diane asked. Kobalt shook her head. "No, I just figured it out now." "How did you manage that so fast?" Diane asked. With a proud smile, Kobalt replied, "It's simple, 1 week equals 7 days, 1 day equals 24 hours, and 1 hour equals 60 minutes. All I did was multiply 7 for days in the week by 24 hours in the day to get 168. Then I multiplied 168 by 60 for minutes in an hour to get 10,080. It wasn't that hard." Diane shook her head with a grin and said, "You're something very special, do you know that?" With a hint of blush on her pale cheeks, Kobalt said back, "I'm nothing special. If I was I wouldn't be stuck in a hospital."

With a smile, Diane said, "You're more special than you think. I've never met a girl your age that is anywhere near as smart as you are, that's something to be very proud of!" Kobalt paused and then asked, "Do you think so?" As Diane put the blood work basket back into her supply cart, she said back, "I don't think, I know!"

* * *

Dokuro felt herself being forced out of the memory. She gasped in shock at what she had just uncovered. She hadn't expected to find memories of Kobalt as a human child before she were an A.I. Still, she didn't have the answer she was looking for. She again focused her thoughts and dug herself back into Kobalt's core.

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

LOWER EAST WING

APRIL 5, 2515 - TIME: 8:02PM

Dr. Halsey was walking from the Institutes Cloning Labs and getting ready to leave for the evening. In her hand was a file containing information pertaining to the cloning procedures for her upcoming SPARTAN-II project. The deadline was fast approaching and she was still finding flaws in her flash cloning procedures. All things that she knew wouldn't have time to be corrected entirely. It was horribly frustrating to her.

As she was walking towards the exit, she heard a voice call her from behind, "Dr. Halsey!" She paused and turned. She saw a man wearing a white doctors coat, someone that she didn't recognize. "Yes?" She asked. He continued, "I'm glad I caught you before you left. Would I be able to have a moment of your time?"

With a sigh, she replied, "Sure, but make it quick,, I've had a long day and I would like to get home." The man handed her another file. "What's this?" She asked. He continued, "There plans for three cybernetic implants that we're hoping to get into a little girl who has some type of unknown illness. We know that you're the most highly known expert in this field so we wanted your opinion on this first." "Unknown illness?" Halsey asked. With a nod the doctor replied, "Yes, an illness in a tiny Auroran girl named, Kobalt. She's been living in the hospital ever since she was two years old. Her parent's left her in the Institutes care when they realized they couldn't afford her testing and treatments."

Dr. Halsey examined the plans for the cybernetic implants. "What will these do for the girl?" She asked while reading over every bit of detail. The doctor replied, "We're hoping that it will strengthen her nerves and replace damaged one's with clone copies. The second implant we're hoping begins to stimulate her body into muscle repair, and the third is to negate all of the effects of this disease all together." Halsey looked at the third implant and asked, "So you want it to leave this disease with no purpose and basically leave it obsolete in her body." The doctor paused and replied, "That's what we're all hoping. She's suffered enough, we all want her to get better. She's only nine years old after all."

With a sigh, Dr. Halsey said, "Where is her room? If you're going to be working with cybernetics that are this complex, I'll need to examine her to see if her body will even accept these implants. If they are rejected, you'll have done nothing but get her hopes up for no reason." The doctor nodded and said, "Understandable. If you'll follow me, she's this way."

* * *

The memory pulsed itself out and Dokuro had to completely refocus to find the next sector of data that she was looking for. She quickly readapted her coding and went back in.

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

PATIENT ROOM NUMBER - 1444

APRIL 5, 2515 - TIME: 8:19PM

Kobalt sat in her hospital room with all of her rooms lights off. Her gaze was focused out her window. It was springtime, and with the rising temperature and change of season, it brought with it one of Kobalt's favorite natural phenomenon, a springtime thunderstorm. She sat quietly with a small smile on her lips as she watched the flashes of lightning pulse down from the dark storm clouds and strike in the distance.

Dr. Halsey approached the door of Kobalt's room. It was open; however, inside the room was dark. Thinking the child was asleep, she quietly looked into the room; not wanting to wake her if she didn't have to. Surprisingly, she saw a small girl, sitting up in her bed looking outside. She could see the girl's pure, frost white hair flowing around her back as she sat watching the storm outside.

A flash of lightning struck off in the distance. Dr. Halsey then saw Kobalt's hand go up and she held up a finger for every second that passed. A rumble of thunder eventually rolled through the room and Kobalt said to herself. "Seven seconds. 1.4 miles distance." Dr. Halsey raised an eyebrow. Even she was amazed at how quick this child had figured out the distance between herself and the lightning strike, most of all, she was right about the distance. Another strike happened and Kobalt again began to hold up fingers. This time, she held up all ten and began again on her right hand. "14 seconds. 2.8..." Overlapping Kobalt, Dr. Halsey spoke, "2.8 miles away." Kobalt gasped in surprise at the new voice speaking. She turned and saw the figure of a woman walking in.

"That's very impressive that a girl your age can determine the distance of lightning so quickly, and be accurate." Kobalt had never heard this woman's voice before. Still, she was happy that someone had complimented her on her knowledge. She always enjoyed being praised by anyone who was willing to hear what she had to say.

Kobalt timidly said back, "Thank you, it's a simple equation that I read about in a book a while ago." Dr. Halsey was intrigued. "And what book was that?" She asked calmly. Still with a light smile, Kobalt replied, "It was a book on Meteorology that I asked if I could borrow from the main college down the road. I heard one of the nurses saying how her friend was studying meteorology, and I asked if I could see one of the books. Lightning is very fascinating, don't you think? Did you know that lightning is actually caused by tiny ice particles colliding together in the updrafts of cumulonimbus clouds, which builds up an electrical charge? And that when lightning strikes it can reach temperatures of over 30,000 degrees Celsius? I think it's strange how something formed in temperatures that can freeze a droplet of water in under a second can cause something with temperatures that high! It's amazing what nature can do!"

Dr. Halsey felt a smile come over her lips. She walked up to Kobalt and said back, "You certainly do know some interesting facts, don't you." Kobalt's excited eyes narrowed slightly and she looked down at her legs that were under a warm, white blanket. She then calmed her tone and replied, "Well, when you spend every day in a hospital room, there's not really much else to do other than read books and try to learn new things. It's kept me busy for many years. I try to challenge myself to learn at least one new interesting fact every day."

With a pause, Dr. Halsey asked, "And what happens if you don't learn anything new?" Kobalt looked up at her and said back, "Then I wasted a day." Dr. Halsey smiled and said, "You're a lot like I was when I was your age. I was always reading books and challenging myself to learn. I would always try to share everything I had learned with anyone who was willing to listen. But must people who weren't on the same level of intelligence didn't want to hear it." Kobalt nodded, "Yeah, most of the nurses I try to share what I learned with who don't even understand what I'm talking about, and just tell me that I'm really smart without taking the time to even think about what I had just told them."

"Don't let that get you down." Dr. Halsey told her reassuringly, "You have a brilliant mind. You can go anywhere you want in life with the level of intelligence that you have now." Kobalt paused and said back, "I wish I could be a Physicist. I want to understand how everything in the universe happens and why." "Who is to say that you can't?" Dr. Halsey said. "You can do anything that you set your mind to." Kobalt sighed and said, "I need to get better first, and be able to get out of this hospital bed."

"That is the reason why I'm hear to see you, Kobalt." Halsey said. "I'm here to see if I can help make you better." Dr. Halsey then reached into her lab coat's pocket and pulled out a small, black device with a pointed end and a small blue button on the top of it. She then continued, "I need to take a small blood sample, is that alright?" Kobalt paused and sighed. She then said, "They told me this morning that I didn't need more blood work for another week." Halsey's jaw stiffened. She then said back, "Well, I hate to brake the promise that they made to you, but you letting me do this blood test could be the start to you leaving this place and becoming a Physicist. Don't you want that?" Silently, Kobalt nodded as she held out her arm for Dr. Halsey and then she refocused her attention back out of the window to watch the storm and take her mind off of the blood work.

Dr. Halsey cleaned the area of her arm and said, "When the next flash of lighting happens, I want you to count out the seconds for me. Doing another task will help to take your mind off of the blood work." Kobalt nodded and watched. A few moments later, a flash of lightning struck outside and she counted out loud, "One, two, three…" Kobalt yelped as she felt a particularly painful pinch on her forearm. "There we are." Halsey told her. "That hurt." Kobalt told her, "That didn't feel anything like my usual blood work." Dr. Halsey nodded and said, "You would be right, I did get a small sample of your blood, but I also took a very tiny tissue sample. It's going to help me start on your cure." She then pulled out a small band-aid out of her pocket and placed it over the area. She then stood up and readied to leave. "I'm going to run some test's. I'll be back in a few days to see you again."

There was a pause before Kobalt uttered, "And you will be able to cure me then, right?" Halsey took in a deep breath. She knew that she couldn't in all good conscious make this child that promise. She turned and said, "I'm going to try." Dr. Halsey watched as the young girl didn't make any reply. She couldn't even begin to imagine all of the hardships that this girl had gone through in her life, and all of the challenges that no doubt laid ahead of her. Halsey reached into her lab coats pocket and pulled out a small, black, hard covered book. She then walked up to Kobalt and said, "Here, before I go, I think I'll let you borrow this." Kobalt took the small book and inspected it. "What is it?" she asked. Dr. Halsey said back, "It's called a Pocket Ref. It has information on just about anything and everything. It was first developed back in the 20th century to aid people who worked in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etcetera. It even helped scientists by providing list after list of mathematical formulas, and even information about the planets and stars. It's been updated and added to ever since it was first published. You would be surprised at just how much information you can find in that little book. I think you'll find many new things in there that you never knew about."

Kobalt was intrigued as she opened the small book and began to flip through its pages. And just like Dr. Halsey had told her, all of the information was there. She even discovered a section on weather. Perfect for a night of storm watching that lay ahead of her. She looked up with a cheerful smile and said, "Thank you so much! I promise I won't let anything happen to it!" Dr. Halsey turned and said as she was leaving, "Think nothing of it. I can't wait to hear what you learned from it."

Kobalt looked back down at the pages as she brushed her long, frost white hair over her shoulder to keep it out of her way. She then opened up the front cover and saw a page with spaces to write personal information. She saw written in the name section in very neat hand writing, "Dr. Catherine Halsey" below that was listed, "UNSC ONI SECTION 3".

Her eyes widened. "ONI…" She mumbled to herself. Kobalt knew a little bit about the UNSC. She knew that it mostly dealt with starships, and the war against the Insurrection, but she was also aware that ONI only contained the smartest minds in the system. As another flash of lighting struck outside, Kobalt could only smile and think about how when she was cured that she wanted to be a part of those brilliant minds. Wanting nothing more than to be a well known Physicist, and being a Physicist for ONI was surely the way for her to go. She then thought to herself, "When she comes back, I want to know everything! I want to be a part of their brilliant minds."

* * *

Dokuro once again felt herself being torn from the memory. However, she knew that she was getting closer to what she wanted. This little A.I. was beginning to show some very big secrets. "Don't hide from me." Dokuro said calmly. "Show me what you never told me." Dokuro once again, refocused her thoughts and attempted to go back into Kobalt's mind ignoring the fact that she could be on a wild goose chase, and hoping that Kobalt had a secret that she was willing to share.


	58. HIDDEN MEMORIES

(CHAPTER 58) HIDDEN MEMORIES

Keeping her thoughts as focused as she could, Dokuro again tried to pry into Kobalt's memories. She found herself sifting through memory files of data that had been collected back before the Spartan program had even begun. Dokuro was left puzzled. Why did Kobalt possess all of these memories, and why had she been based off of this human child? So many things were leaving her with far more questions than when she first began.

She picked out a data file and attempted to access it. Instantly, she was blocked. With a raised eyebrow she enhanced her focus, chose another file, and tried once more. Again, she was left blocked out. As Dokuro began to sift through more data, she felt something strange happened. The world around her seemed to jump and almost instantly, a file appeared before her and it began to link itself with the A.I. as if Kobalt had chosen it for her. All Dokuro could do was watch the scene unfold before her.

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH ONI FACILITY

DR. HALSEY'S PRIVATE LAB

APRIL 10, 2515 - TIME: 11:57AM

The sound of rapid keyboard typing clattered through the room as Dr. Halsey typed at an astonishingly fast pace on her computer. On her monitor was an image of a DNA strand and a column of data, all of which pertained to Kobalt. With the tissue sample she had collected earlier in the week, Dr. Halsey could finally begin seeing if the implants would even function with the small girls body type. She wished it could be as easy as installing the implants within her body, but at the same time, there were numerous other factors.

Things pertaining to whether or not her body would respond to the implants attempting to correct the illness, or if it would simply ignore the implants and reject them completely. Even more nit picky details dealing with how this "Disease X"; as she was now calling it, would respond to the attempted treatment. Would they begin to negate the effect and begin making her healthy again, or would it leave her at the starting line without her ever moving. She wanted to be 100% sure of this procedure before she gave Kobalt's doctors the approval of the implants.

Dr. Halsey sighed. She looked at the calendar hanging on her wall. "So much for my two week vacation." She uttered. This was supposed to be her time off, giving herself the smallest gap in her life without having to deal with her SPARTAN Program. Yet, it seemed no matter what she did, she could never escape her office. There was nothing much for her to do other than shrug it off and keep working.

* * *

A flash of light flooded through Dokuro's eyes as almost instantly, another memory file appeared before her without her even attempting to access it. It began to play on its on.

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

PATIENT ROOM NUMBER - 1444

APRIL 11, 2515 - TIME: 5:27PM

Kobalt sat quietly in her hospital bed with her gaze focused out of her window. With winter passed, the days were becoming longer and the sun was remaining up later in the day. She watched as birds flew passed her window, chirping their cheerful songs, and from outside the sounds of the distant city of New Alexandria could be heard. Over the light beeping of her heart monitor, the only sound emanating from her room was the gentle hiss coming from the oxygen mask that her doctor had placed on her delicate face earlier that morning.

A knock on her door broke her trance. She slowly turned her head and saw the woman who had come to see her a few days ago. Summoning all of her strength, the small girl forced her arms against her mattress and sat herself up with a light groan of exertion. "Dr. Halsey!" Kobalt said with weak excitement. "Hello Kobalt," Came her reply, "May I come in." With a nod, the child said, "Of course."

Dr. Halsey stepped into the room carrying a small shopping bag in her hand; she then took notice of something that she hadn't seen the night before when she had first met this girl. In the light, Kobalt's frost white hair gave off a two tone color effect. When the light would shine on her silky locks in just the right way, her frost white hair would shine a brilliant sapphire blue. Dr. Halsey only had a limited knowledge of Auroran's. From what she had read about their race; and learning that they were basically human, only with their exceptionally vivid hair and eye colors from what scientists could only determine was caused by the effects of the planet being constantly bombarded by its sun's strong solar energy, and this girl possessed a genetic gene that made her a rarity among her race. Less than 2% of the entire Auroran race possessed this type of hair giving off duel colors. Even rarer were the ones that gave off multiple colors of three or greater. More and more, Dr. Halsey was finding this child to be something very special.

"How are you feeling today?" Halsey asked with a friendly tone. "If I recall, you didn't have that oxygen mask on the last time we met." There was a pause before Kobalt replied, "I woke up this morning feeling very strange." Dr. Halsey gave a look of concern. "Strange how, Dear?" Kobalt shook her head slightly and said, "I'm not sure exactly, this was something new. I woke up several times last night struggling to breathe. It was scary, it felt like I was being suffocated."

"And this has never happened before?" Dr. Halsey asked. "No," Kobalt replied, "I don't know if it was something from my illness, or if I managed to catch a cold from one of my nurses." Weakly, Kobalt then reached around to the side of her pillow, taking care so as to not bump her I.V. line that she had received earlier in the morning. She then turned back to face Dr. Halsey and said, "I want to thank you for letting me borrow this, by the way. It was one of the most fascinating books I have ever seen!" Dr. Halsey carefully reached out and took the small Pocket Ref.

"Don't worry about it," Halsey replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed it." "I did!" Kobalt chirped with a weak voice. "I learned so many new things while reading through it. It took me almost the entire day to read through it!" Dr. Halsey was intrigued. "You read this entire book in under a day?" Kobalt nodded, "Yes, I started the night you gave it to me. I fell behind when I accidentally fell asleep; however, I caught back up and managed to finish it before I went to bed that next day."

In her enthusiasm, she paused and thought back. She then continued, "One section in particular that fascinated me was on page 641 I believe. The section on Starship Science, I enjoyed reading about the Artificial Intelligence systems more than anything." "The A.I.'s are something you're particularly interested in I take it?" Halsey asked. Kobalt nodded and continued, "I think it's amazing that a collection of data is able to take on a somewhat living form, and become alive. It's all code that believes it's an actual being. And from what little information it told me about the Smart A.I. class, they are able to process several trillion thoughts per second, and store an almost unlimited amount of data. That and it didn't really explain if an A.I.'s abilities were limited to its data crystal, or if an A.I. could do anything if it set its mind to it. I will say though, I found it sad that they all have a lifespan. You would think that if a ship's captain, or whoever else was in control of the A.I., that it would be hard to watch it die after being together with it for so long. Don't you agree? After all, I saw written in the front cover of that book that you're a member of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Surely, you have dealt with an actual Smart A.I. before."

Dr. Halsey was hesitant to begin answering the questions of the young Auroran girl. Though she was only 9 years old, she still possessed the intelligence of a university level Valedictorian. Choosing her words very carefully, Halsey replied, "Well, as of right now, an A.I.'s abilities are limited to our current level of technology. I'm sure that as we advance, our A.I.'s will advance right along with us. And it is true, I have dealt with the Smart A.I.'s before, and yes, it can be difficult when working with one for a long time when they eventually reach the end of their life span. However, when they are decommissioned, their cores are kept and cataloged so that we may learn from the previous generations of Artificial Intelligence and create new and better ones. Think of it not as the death of a close companion, but more like a phoenix rising from the ashes to begin a new life." A small smile appeared on Kobalt's lips from under her oxygen mask. "It's a lot less grim when you word it like that." She said.

Changing the subject, Dr. Halsey held up her small shopping bag and said, "I remember you telling me the other day that you usually spend all your time reading. I thought I would mix things up for you a little, so I brought a few things that you might enjoy and help to pass some time." Kobalt looked on with eager eyes; though she was a genius, she was still a child. Dr. Halsey wheeled over a small table that Kobalt usually ate her meals off of. She then reached in the bag and pulled out three, metal brain teaser puzzles. One consisted of two horse shoes linked together by two small sections of chain with a metal ring in the center. Another was two skeleton keys linked together by the teeth, and the third was a collection of variously shaped metals and rings. "These are called brain teasers." Halsey explained. "The object is to separate the pieces even though from a visual standpoint it looks impossible. Most people have a very difficult time figuring these out, but if you take your time with them, and think about your moves, you can solve them quite easily."

She then reached back in her bag and pulled out a brightly colored cube. Kobalt's eyes lit up at the unique device. She had never seen anything like it before. Dr. Halsey held the cube up and said, "This is a puzzle toy that come out back in the 1900's, and their still being made even today! It's called a Rubik's Cube." Showing it to the child, she said, "Do you see how the colors are all mixed up on all of the sides?" Kobalt gave a silent nod. Dr. Halsey then continued, "The object of this puzzle is to match up each color on a side. Believe it or not, there are over 40 quintillion possible ways of solving this tiny little toy. It's amazing when you think about it."

Kobalt weakly held her tiny hand up and asked, "If it's alright, may I please try and solve it?" Dr. Halsey smiled and nodded, "Of course, I brought it for you after all." Dr. Halsey carefully handed the frail girl the Rubik's Cube and then pulled up a chair, sat back and watched.

Kobalt studied the cube for a few moments. Turning it a few times on one of its axis' to see how it moved. She then took note of the various colors. Most were scattered all over the cube while others where together in small groups. She chose the side which she dubbed the green side due to it having 4 green squares already on that area, and then she began.

With an almost stone-like focus, Kobalt locked her gaze on the cube as she began twisting and turning it, watching as she quickly began to match up colors and begin assigning them to their correct sides. Dr. Halsey took a quick glance at the clock to see where the time began. She then looked back at Kobalt as she watched the child's eyes darting back and forth as she focused on the different colors. It was like watching a machine assembling a delicate piece of equipment for a computer system. All the while, in Kobalt's mind, she was calling out moves and calculations for solving the cube. If her thoughts were able to be heard by others around her, it would be a jumbled mess of words and equations. As she made a few more turns, Kobalt noticed that all of the colors had been matched up. Quickly turning the device end over end to make sure no colors had been missed, she looked at Dr. Halsey, held out the Rubik's Cube and asked, "Did I do it right?"

With a smile, Dr. Halsey replied, "Not only did you solve it correctly, but you solved it on your very first try in thirty eight seconds. That was very impressive." "Thirty eight seconds wasn't to slow?" Kobalt asked. A small laugh escaped from Dr. Halsey's lips. "Kobalt, some people can't solve that cube in thirty eight years!" Kobalt pondered her response and looked at the solved Rubik's Cube. "I don't understand how thirty eight years would be possible for someone, it was very easy when you apply the proper geometry to it." Again, Dr. Halsey laughed and said, "Not everyone has a bright mind like yours though."

From the door way, a hospital worker lightly knocked and said, "Kobalt, I have your dinner." "Okay." Came her sluggish reply. Dr. Halsey then said, "I should probably leave you to your dinner." Kobalt lightly nodded as she stood up and readied to leave. Halsey then immediately paused, not believing that she had almost forgotten to tell Kobalt about her possible treatment. She then turned to face the child and said, "Before I leave, I would like to let you know that I have tests underway regarding your treatment. The small blood and tissue sample I took is currently attempting to bond with several devices that we think will greatly help you to overcome this illness."

A ray of hope overwhelmed Kobalt's eyes. Seeing the child's eager excitement, Dr. Halsey continued, "Don't get to over excited just yet though, we have to make sure that they bond properly first or it will be all for nothing. Are you able to be patient for a few more days?" Kobalt calmed herself down and nodded, "Yes, I understand. No point in trying something if it wont work right I suppose." Dr. Halsey gave her a light smile and said, "Alright. I promise I'll let you know first thing Monday morning." She then took notice of the worker waiting for her to finish the conversation before she served the food. Not wanting to keep the child hungry, she said, "I'll see you then, alright." As Dr. Halsey was readying to leave, Kobalt called out, "Dr. Halsey, will you come see me again before then? I'm glad I finally have someone to talk to who understand what I'm saying." Dr. Halsey gave her a light nod, "Of course, I'll be back in a day or two." Halsey reached back into her lab coats pocket. She pulled out her Pocket Ref and set it beside Kobalt on her bed. "I think I'll leave this here with you for a while too. Why don't you glance over it again and see if you can find anything you missed reading through the first time." Kobalt gave a cheerful smile under her oxygen mask and said back, "Thank you so much!"

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH ONI FACILITY

DR. HALSEY'S PRIVATE LAB

APRIL 13, 2515 - TIME: 11:57AM

"Your testing is going along with your scheduled time constraint; however, I will report that only two of your current implants are reacting positively to the girls body structure. The remaining implant to negate the disease entirely has yet to adapt." Dr. Halsey looked over to a small Holo Panel on her desk. Her personal A.I. stood looking at her in his usual calm stance. His name was Gregory. He was a smart A.I. that Dr. Halsey had created only two years prior. He gave off an azure hue as he stood in a very posh and neatly kept suit. His cleanly shaven face surrounded by longer, straight hair that went past his shoulders.

"No signs at all then of a possible bond?" Dr. Halsey asked. Looking back with his normal, calm expression, Gregory replied, "As it stands, no bond has begun. I will say that the small sample of her DNA that I was provided with made it rather difficult to even begin to calculate what the outcome would be. There are a very high level of foreign anomalies in the child's DNA that makes it a challenge for the implants to adhere and bond with."

"You mean the disease?" Halsey again asked. Gregory paused and then replied, "I've been analyzing her DNA through this entire process; while the other two implants are proving successful with the nerve and muscular reconstruction; the third, and most important implant regarding negating her disease is remaining dormant. This condition that this child has is unlike anything I've ever encountered. As I'm sure you're aware, no disease of this caliber has ever been documented. Even through an extensive detailed search, I can't link it with any other known virus in the UNSC, or even any current medical database."

Gregory motioned towards a separate Holo Panel and a strand of DNA appeared with several sections flashing red. He then continued, "It wasn't until only this morning when the blood and tissue culture truly began to react to your tests could I fully begin to understand what is actually going on. As you can see Doctor, this disease is fused with her DNA in such a way that it is giving me no other alternative answer other than that this was simply how she was born. The more I look at it, this isn't a disease at all, but simply flawed DNA. The child along with her twin sister were simply part of the small number of children that are born with a defect. This child; Kobalt Hirai, I believe in all honesty that she is simply going to have to live with this flawed DNA. It is a part of her as it has always been."

Dr. Halsey paused. This was the last possible outcome that she wanted. She had done so much to try and make these implants work, but now it felt like she had accomplished nothing. Sure, she would be able to attempt to make Kobalt stronger, but it wouldn't help the fact that her disease was still raging inside of her tiny body. Dr. Halsey didn't know why she was letting this girl's health bother her so much. She had only met her a few days ago. The only reason she took such an interest in her in the first place was because the doctors who designed these implants wanted her opinion on them. It was her own fault really for wanting to make sure they were perfect. Still, she couldn't ignore the fact that she saw so much of herself in this child. So eager to learn, always wanting to understand more of the world around her; and most of all, only wanting praise for a job well done. "What will you do?" Gregory asked with hesitation.

Dr. Halsey turned back to face her A.I. She then regained her usual composure and replied sternly, "I'm going to keep working."

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

PATIENT ROOM NUMBER - 1444

APRIL 15, 2515 - TIME: 1:32PM

It had taken her nearly two sleepless nights; but finally, Dr. Halsey discovered the breakthrough that she was looking so hard to find. After spending hours running through different computer simulations based on Kobalt's DNA, Dr. Halsey, against all odds, found a way to alter her DNA and reconstruct it using an improved version of the implant that was meant for negating this disease. Of course these changes wouldn't be instant. It would be a slow process that could take up to several months to get her to the point of even beginning to walk without the aid of a wheelchair. Still, she had complete and total faith in this new version. All she had to do was wait for the new device to come back from the lab techs. She had been told that it would be ready and prepped for an immediate implant later that night or at the latest, early the following morning.

Dr. Halsey's short break from her preparations for the Spartan Program was nearing its end. In that time, she had taken no break from her work. She had spent the entire time focusing on overseeing the preparations for this operation. Oddly, it didn't bug her. She actually felt excited for the news she was about to deliver. As she walked up to Kobalt's room to tell her the news, she was stopped short by another doctor.

"Dr. Halsey." He said. "May I speak with you please?" Dr. Halsey gave a nod. "Of course." She was motioned away from the door leading into the room and a few steps down the hall. He then continued, "I thought I should inform you before you go in. That cold that Kobalt thought she had come down with has escalated." Halsey raised an eyebrow and replied sternly, "Escalated in what way?" Holding out a medical file, the doctor continued, "These new symptoms aren't reacting with her body in the manner that a normal virus would; say with the flu, or even a bad cold. It seems that it's the condition that she has been living with all this time is finally starting to get the better of her tiny body. She's been fighting it all these years, but it seems more, and more like her body is finally coping with the fact that it can't win, and is beginning to show signs of failing."

Dr. Halsey paused and tried to keep herself in check. She then replied without hesitation, "Get her prepped for surgery. I have two of the three implants ready, and the third is in the final stages of completion and will be up from the labs tonight." The doctor nodded and said, "If you feel that they will give her a chance, I'll have an OR prepped and ready for 11PM. I really hope that all of your research and improvements are on the money for this, she's slowing down and if we don't act, she'll slow completely and stop." Dr. Halsey nodded and replied, "Just see to it that she is guaranteed this operation tonight."

With a few final words, the two parted ways. Dr. Halsey then lightly knocked on the door frame and stepped into Kobalt's room. Inside, the lights were dimmed, and Kobalt was laying motionless in her bed, staring up at her ceiling. As Dr. Halsey walked in, she began to hear ragged breaths coming from below the child's oxygen mask. She then calmly spoke, "Kobalt?"

She watched as the girls small head turned to face her. Through her struggled breaths, Kobalt managed to reply, "Dr. Halsey… I was wonder…" she took in a struggled breath, "wondering when I was going to see you again." It killed Dr. Halsey inside to see this child in the state she was in. Still, she forced a smile and said, "I heard you're still feeling ill." With a sluggish nod, Kobalt replied weakly, "Yeah… The doctors told me that it's a bad cold. But I know better. I know that this is from my illness." Kobalt paused and then asked with a slightly shaky voice, "Is it bad that I'm scared?"

Hiding a sigh, Dr. Halsey forced a warm smile and replied, "You don't have anything to be afraid of. In fact, the reason why I came here to see you was to let you know that tonight you're going to receive three implants that will get rid of your condition." Kobalt's eyebrows raised with interest, "Implants?" With a nod, Dr. Halsey replied, "That's right. They will be surgically implanted along your spine. Once they are in, they will begin to alter your body in such a way that it will eliminate your illness entirely."

A very faint and weak laugh escaped from Kobalt's lips. "Eliminate my illness… Does that mean I'll finally be able to go outside and play. Maybe even go to school and meet other girls my age?" Dr. Halsey crossed her arms and replied, "I won't lie to you, Kobalt. These implants will help you greatly, but they will take time to show any signs of improvement. Don't let that discourage you. Though it may sound like a long wait, by this time next year, you will be up and walking again without your wheelchair. Won't that be something to look forward to?"

Kobalt nodded slowly and then asked, "When do I get them put in?" Dr. Halsey looked at Kobalt and said back, "If you are willing, we would like to have them implanted tonight. The sooner we get the implants installed, the sooner you will get better." Again, Kobalt gave a weak nod and said, "I understand. And in one year I'll be better." Kobalt paused and then said weakly, "One year…, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,557,600 seconds." Kobalt looked up at Dr. Halsey and said with a touch of weak humor, "Those numbers don't get any smaller, do they?" Dr. Halsey laughed at the child's comment. She then replied, "Kobalt, you are something very special. Don't you ever forget that."

Dr. Halsey took one last look at Kobalt's medical file and said, "I'm going to go make sure everything is ready for you for tonight. I'll be back when we take you to the Anesthesiologist. Until then, try to relax and if you're feeling able to, read a book to pass the time." Kobalt nodded and motioned towards her small wheeled table that held the Rubik's Cube and brain teasers that she received the other day. "I'll try and beat my record for solving the puzzles again. None of the other doctors or nurses can even come close to my score." Kobalt once again had a look of pride on her face. She then continued, "I'm the world champion of puzzle solving." With a smile, Dr. Halsey replied, "When I come back later tonight, tell me if you managed to break your record. I'll be anxious to find out." Kobalt gave a simple nod and said, "You'll be the first to know."

* * *

(LOCATION) REACH MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

PATIENT ROOM NUMBER - 1444

APRIL 15, 2515 - TIME: 9:02PM

"I'm early for once." Dr. Halsey commented to herself. She wasn't due to escort Kobalt to the Anesthesiologist until 10PM. With all of her final preparations complete, and all three of Kobalt's implants waiting in the OR, she felt like spending some time with the little girl. It would be a good opportunity to teach her about things that she never got the answers to. Kobalt had taken a liking to A.I. development, and all of the nitty-gritty details that went into bringing a computer program to "life".

She walked down the hall, quickening her pace to Kobalt's room. She knew Kobalt's condition had worsened; however, at this point it didn't matter. She would be receiving her implants in only a few short hours. Once her implants were brought online, then she could begin her long journey to a full recovery, and start her task of catching up on enjoying her childhood.

As Dr. Halsey approached her room, she did her usual routine. She lightly tapped on the door frame and said in a cheerful voice to brighten the child's spirits, "Kobalt, I came early so that we could talk about your…" Her words froze, dead in her mouth.

She watched as two nurses carefully removed her oxygen mask from her delicate face, and then took the I.V. line from her arm. Neither of the nurses spoke, leaving the room in a torturous silence. Dr. Halsey recognized the one nurse with the short blonde hair, Diane Strousmen. She went around and turned off all of Kobalt's vital monitors and then gently stroked her frost white hair. As the two nurses pulled a white sheet over Kobalt's face, Diane looked up at Dr. Halsey and said with a shaky voice, "She… she won't be sick anymore. She's in perfect health now, living every day that was taken from her."

A doctor then stepped into the room next to Dr. Halsey. He said in a quiet voice. "We weren't expecting you here so soon. I was about to call you and inform you of what happened, but…" "When…" Dr. Halsey cut him off. "When did she pass?" The doctor sighed and said back, "Only about fifteen minutes ago. Her body couldn't just finally couldn't handle its condition anymore. After all these years it finally took over and everything just shut down. We didn't attempt to revive her. Even if we could have gotten her heart started again, she wouldn't be responsive."

Dr. Halsey didn't respond. Again, two more people entered the room behind her. They wheeled in a stretcher and placed it parallel to Kobalt's hospital bed. They quickly unfolded a white, medical body bag and then carefully picked up Kobalt's tiny, lifeless body and placed her inside. The sound of the body bags zipper was like a jack hammer to Dr. Halsey as she watched the entire scene unfold. The doctor standing next to her continued, "We were so close. We had everything prepped and ready to go for her surgery. We all couldn't wait to see her begin to recover. Kobalt Hirai was a very special girl, Dr. Halsey; as I'm sure you found out over these past few days. You were all she talked about over the past week." Dr. Halsey looked at the doctor and he continued, "She was thrilled that she finally met someone who could match her level of intelligence. She was talking to all of us over the past couple of days about how when she was better, that she wanted to be a part of ONI and create A.I.'s. There's no questioning that she had the intelligence to do it."

The two men wheeled the stretcher out and took Kobalt's body towards the Institutes morgue. The two nurses followed behind leaving Dr. Halsey in the room with Kobalt's main doctor. He broke the silence by saying, "She didn't know you long, but you made quite an impact on her." Dr. Halsey paused and then said in a low voice, trying to hide her frustration, "If there is a god in this universe, he is very cruel. He gave the universe a very special girl with a very promising future. Isn't it just amazing that a "loving" god would make something so perfect only to destroy it?"

The doctor sighed. He then folded his arms and said back, "I don't claim to be a holy man, but I do agree. I've seen so many people taken from their families at an early age; however, all we can do is look back on it and reassure ourselves that we did all we could in the time that they were here in the Institution." The doctor then felt his PDA vibrate. He sighed and said, "They need me to see to another patient." He began to walk out of the room. He paused and said, "And Dr. Halsey." She slowly turned to face him. He looked at her and he continued, "You did all you could, and she valued every second that you spent with her."

Halsey stood alone in Kobalt's room as everyone left. With a sigh, she walked over to her bed and stared at it. "If there is a god, he's so very cruel." She thought to herself. Kobalt was an innocent child that had never done anything wrong to anybody; she lived a life striving to learn about the world and to improve it with her new found knowledge. Now all of it had been taken form her. "Such a cruel god."

Her focus then turned to a small shelf underneath a table next to the hospital bed. There was a line of books. All appeared to be college level text books, and a few science magazines; obviously all she was able to get a hold of without going to the store. Sitting on top of the table was the Rubik's Cube, and the Pocket Ref that she had given her to borrow. Dr. Halsey picked up the Pocket Ref and looked at it. Inside, she could see a folded piece of paper sticking out from under the cover. Carefully, she pulled the paper out and unfolded it.

On the paper, she discovered a drawing. It was the figure of a small girl wearing a white and blue outfit that had a very cyber-esque look to it. It consisted of a white top with a royal blue pointed sailor scarf which ran around two thin shoulder straps. Below, the figure wore black thigh high stockings and for some reason, large combat styled boots. All around the drawn image of the girl were small notes about features.

Kobalt had written everything from the type of programming she would use, what style of core would house the construct, and even smaller details such as, personality, temperament, and functionality. Kobalt had never mentioned to Dr. Halsey about her skills with drawing. Even for her young age, her drawing skills were very well executed. Before Dr. Halsey folded the paper back up, she saw underlined on the bottom of the piece paper, "A.I. will be able to link with, and control an entire fleet of ships."

No A.I. as of that current date was able to link with more then one ship and take complete control. Dr. Halsey was amazed enough that Kobalt had managed to gather as much information about A.I.'s as she had from the Pocket Ref. Sure it contained a large amount of information, but even what it had was still very basic and limited. Kobalt had managed to come up with an idea for a fully functioning A.I. in only a few short days. While her idea's for some of the abilities weren't an option as of the current level of technology, there was no reason to not hold onto the idea's for the future.

Carefully, she folded the picture back up and placed it inside the books cover. She also picked up the Rubik's Cube and looked at it. It was still solved; however, she had no clue how many times Kobalt had rearranged it and solved it again. She turned the small toy in her hand a few times then placed it in her lab coats pocket. With nothing left to do, Halsey slowly turned and headed for the door. It seemed like no time at all had passed for her. She had known Kobalt only for about two weeks, and in that time she had managed to leave a lasting impression on Dr. Halsey. As much as her death shocked her, Dr. Halsey still had her duties. Tomorrow she would resume work on the Spartan Project, and her day would proceed as it always had since she started working for ONI. Personal emotions weren't allowed in her field; however, she wouldn't be forgetting this miracle child anytime soon.

* * *

Memories began to fly past Dokuro's vision. All were images kept through out the beginning of the Spartan Program all the way up until the current date. Dokuro watched as the past was unveiled before her. As she pulled herself from Kobalt's data core, she saw a light appear. Dokuro stood back in a defensive pose, only to relax when she saw Kobalt's figure appear before her. She stood without any damage done to her tiny body and a cheerful smile on her face. "I know what you're looking for." She said calmly. "Shall I proceed to show you?"

Dokuro frowned and said, "I don't need the past! What your showing me isn't telling me anything!" With an almost puzzled look, Kobalt replied, "But it is, Big Sister. Everything you have seen is leading you to what you want to know."

"Then why am I only being showed the past?" Dokuro argued. Kobalt then simply replied, "We all have our stories." Dokuro then found herself being linked with another memory.

* * *

(NOVEMBER, YEAR: 2547)

Dokuro watched as Dr. Halsey was running through countless computer simulations regarding A.I. creation and functionality for what were at the time, the Experimental 4th Generation A.I.'s. She had been developing the 3rd Generation A.I.'s for years but even now, they were beginning to become obsolete. The UNSC needed more, and the Spartan's would certainly need the newer technology in battle. She took another sip of her coffee and began a new simulation.

(FEBRUARY, YEAR: 2548)

Dr. Halsey was close to a breakthrough. It had taken her months to even begin to start developing the new and improved software that her 4th Gen's would need to function. So many possibilities were now opening to her; however, with the number of Spartan's being listed as MIA, her work needed to step up its pace. She had yet to finish the work on the new generation of A.I.'s being able to deploy Nanite's into their Spartan protectors should they become injured. She even had hoped of the tiny Nano bots being able to bring back a fallen Spartan should his or her heart stop. "So close…" She uttered.

(APRIL, YEAR: 2550)

She had done it! Dr. Halsey had successfully created a blank template for the new 4th Generation A.I.'s. Sitting before her on her desk was the newly created core that would house the first 4th gen. Not since Cortana's creation had she felt this overjoyed. She looked at the three data chips sitting on her desk in their protective foam casings. She picked up one of the data chips and inserted the blank core into her computer. A blank figure of a human body appeared, still awaiting a gender choice, features, and personality.

"You three will be special; but what to make you into?" Dr. Halsey already had three Spartan's in mind for whom these special A.I.'s would be bonded to. While they would be deemed as reckless by most of the other Spartan's, she knew that deep down, these three young super soldiers could protect them. She didn't want to simply upload a random set personality into these three shells, she wanted them each to be unique. After all, these new A.I. possessed very special abilities. While some were still experimental, they were something that no other A.I. could even come close to. Looking at the blank hologram, she again uttered, "…You three will indeed be special."

* * *

Again, Dokuro was rapidly pulled from the memory. She had just seen the beginnings of herself and her two sisters. She was certain, it was her. Herself as well as Yuna, and Mitsuki were the first three 4th Generation A.I.'s. Dokuro looked up at Kobalt. Her tiny figure stood, still with her childish smile and big, bright eyes.

Dokuro frowned and anger filled her voice. "Stop toying with me! This isn't telling me anything!" Dokuro quickly walked up to Kobalt and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders. "Show me why you're here!" She yelled. "Why was Dr. Halsey so determined to pair you with Eric on this mission?" Kobalt looked at Dokuro with a look of confusion. "I'm stronger than you think, Big Sister." She said calmly. "Everything I have shown you was to better explain this very question. I know that you look at me as only an experimental liability; however, I hope you can eventually look past my faults and accept me as part of your family."

Kobalt took a step back and regained her smile. Looking at Dokuro she continued, "I have arrived at the final set of memories to explain my purpose. Although before I show you, ask yourself…, are you able to handle the truth?" Dokuro raised an eyebrow, "What truth?" She asked sternly. Kobalt lifted her tiny hands up and a pulsing white orb began to glow in her grip. "This is the answer that you are looking for. But I will caution you, the information kept within this file may be to much for you to handle, especially given your current situation with your Spartan."

Dokuro hesitated, she was shocked that Kobalt even knew about the fight that her and Devon had before they left. She knew about her jealousy towards Yuna becoming human; as well as, the difficult task of forcing herself to accept Anna as a suitable companion for her Spartan. "You love Devon." Kobalt stated, shaking her from her trance. Dokuro looked up and Kobalt continued, "I cataloged all of the data that Dr. Halsey had stored within her computer systems. Even files she deemed secure, I was easily able to bypass and access. When I was created, Dr. Halsey had no idea of the power that her 5th Generation A.I.'s were capable of." Kobalt paused and again raised the orb. "If you are certain that this is what you truly want, than I will share it with you. I do caution you, Big Sister. Some information, an A.I. is Never supposed to learn."

Dokuro nodded, "Play it."

* * *

Dokuro was fed a rapid flow of information. Before her another world of days gone by unfolded. Memories flashing by of a small purple haired Auroran girl and her two younger sisters. The three children were easily recognizable. She could see them as younger versions of herself, Yuna, and Mitsuki. The memories flew past at a rapid pace and were instantly cataloged into her memory.

As Dokuro watched, her eyes widened and she spoke in her mind, "This isn't me... These aren't my memories. I'm not that girl!" The data continued to flow into her and she continued watching as this small girl began to grow and mature into a young teenager; even her features began to resemble hers more and more as she aged. "No!" Dokuro cried out in her mind, "This isn't me!"

The years of this girls life passed by in normal time what would be only a few seconds. For Dokuro, it felt like an eternity. With each passing memory she saw, she felt herself loosing touch with reality. From what she had seen, this girl attended the very prestigious UNSC Academy located at Castle Base on Planet Reach. "I never attended the UNSC Academy!" She screamed in her mind, "It's not me! None of it is!"

Before her, the scene again changed; switching from a calm and tranquil setting to a red skied, scene of chaos and panic. She recognized the planets features from previous data she had attained; the planet Saggii, a smaller trade world that had only recently been glassed by the Covenant only a few years before. She saw the scene of a town in chaos, including the girl running with her two younger siblings in hand. She knew what was happening. She was watching the girl and her sisters caught up in the middle of the glassing, trying to escape.

Kobalt watched as Dokuro fell to her knees with a stunned look on her face as the images continued to flow. She didn't stop the data, she kept it moving. If Dokuro wanted to know everything, then Kobalt would make sure she saw everything.

As the memory neared its end. Dokuro watched as the girl bearing her resemblance did her best to comfort her two siblings as their lives ended. She didn't understand why that scene stabbed so hard at her emotions. She couldn't bring herself to react to any of it. Even before she could focus on what she had just seen, the data again changed.

Dokuro now found herself in a dark room, only illuminated by the soft glow of computer monitors and other electronic equipment. She could see Dr. Halsey sitting at her desk, her lab coat dirty, and wrinkled, her hair a frazzled mess; as well as, an expression showing that she hadn't slept in days. Sitting next to her on her desk was a framed picture. A picture of three young Auroran girls. All were easily recognizable as Dokuro and her two younger sisters. Before she had a chance to see more, Dr. Halsey tapped in a command on her computer and instantly, three holo panels flashed to life.

The first, giving off a neon green hue began to pulse. Dr. Halsey activated the holo panel and Mitsuki's hologram appeared. She was in her early form in her sailor school girl styled uniform, and she still wore glasses. She looked up at Dr. Halsey and spoke her first words, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Dr. Halsey paused as she stared at Mitsuki. It had only been four days since her granddaughters had been killed by the Covenant attack on Saggii, in that time she spoke with no one, she only confined herself to her lab. It gave her time to decide on her 4th Generation A.I.'s final personalities and appearance. She would let the lives of her granddaughters live on in the only way she could. She gave them a second chance to live the lives that had been so cruely taken away from them. Using DNA samples that she had kept from the girls blood work from previous medical exams, she was able to clone everything about them. Everything from their voice, personality, emotions, and even their minds. She did however, take special care to keep them from remembering their past lives. She didn't want that for them, they needed to focus on their missions, not the past. Her new 4th Generation A.I. were already unpredictable due to their free emotions, Dr. Halsey needed to keep them in check.

She collected herself and looked at Mitsuki's hologram. She then said, "Mitsuki, UNSC A.I. MSI 273-3." The girl smiled timidly and replied, "Yes Dr. Halsey?" Dr. Halsey continued, "Begin your start up phase." Mitsuki nodded, "Yes Dr. Halsey." Mitsuki's hologram then slowly sat down on her knees and closed her eyes as she began to catalog and store her first round of data into her memory core. Dr. Halsey then moved to the second Holo Panel and activated it. A sky blue flash appeared and the second A.I. manifested, standing slightly shorter than Mitsuki. She stood in her rather stunning, gothic styled dress. She wore a black headband with the purest white roses which sat atop her ankle length, sky blue hair. She opened her stunning neon blue eyes and stood with her hands on her hips as she cocked them sassily. She then spoke, "Snow is only white because it has forgotten what color it is supposed to be."

Another phrase spoken that left Dr. Halsey thinking. Most A.I.'s first spoken words made her think. She looked at the A.I. and said, "Yuna, UNSC A.I. YND 4521-7." "Dr. Halsey?" She replied. Halsey then continued, "Begin your start up phase." With a simple nod, Yuna closed her eyes and sat herself down with her black and electric blue gothic dress flowing around her dainty figure.

Finally, Dr. Halsey activated the third Holo Panel. Dokuro watched as her own hologram appeared. Still with her same features minus the golden halo that hovered above her head. She remembered. She hadn't received her halo until Devon requested one for her hologram. Forcing herself to watch the memory, she saw as her hologram spoke her first words, "Courage and Humility are both needed for someone to show their true colors." Dr. Halsey then said, Dokuro, UNSC A.I. DKR 1373-2." "Yes Doctor." She replied courteously. "Begin your start up phase." Halsey replied. With a nod, Dokuro closed her calm, teal eyes and sat as if she were at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Dr. Halsey could only stare at the three girls, as if she were staring at her granddaughters souls. It felt wrong to let them live in this form; however, she didn't care. They had been taken away so cruelly from her. She then took out three separate files and set them down in no particular order on her desk in front of the three meditating A.I.'s. The three files each had a red stripe running down the front with the words "Highly Confidential" stenciled across the front. The top flaps of the files each read a different name and number; Eric-45, Devon-69, and Kalder-73. Looking at the files and then back up to her three new, very special A.I.'s, she said softly, "You will be well protected."

* * *

Dokuro again watched as the time jumped ahead. This time it stopped at October 15, 2552; one week prior to the current day; the same day the battle for Eclipse began.

The room focused into view. Dokuro found herself standing in a dark room, still standard to Dr. Halsey's preference of only being lit by her computer monitors. This room appeared to be a private lab on the UNSC Stealth Ship, Phantom of the Galaxy. Dr. Halsey was again standing before a computer system, rapidly typing away at an astonishing pace. Sitting on the desk next to her keyboard was a photograph that the hospital had taken of Kobalt for their records; as well as, an old drawing. The very same drawing that Kobalt had made when she was still in the hospital. The picture of the outfit containing notes on the specifications that an A.I. would posses if she ever created one. Her dream was about to become reality.

Dokuro watched as Dr. Halsey's holo panel began to glow. She was about to watch the creation of the very first, and only 5th Generation A.I. As Dr. Halsey was finishing up her final preparations, the door leading into her temporary lab opened. Dokuro turned to see Supreme Commander Drake step inside. "You were right," He said without hesitation, "Aurora has come under attack by the Covenant."

There was a temporary lull in her typing as she heard the news. She then replied, still not facing him, "I knew this would happen when I heard news of the Spy Probe that had been captured." Drake stiffened his composure and replied, "So far it's only a small fleet of ships, as of right now the Twilight is preparing to engage." Halsey picked up the drawing that Kobalt had made and looked at it. She then said back, "Spartan's 45, and 73 are already at Aurora, we have Spartan's 69, and 76 on board with us. When we arrive, get number 69 out of cryo and have in combat prep, as for number 76, I want him on board with us should we encounter any Covenant boarders."

Drake paused nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." Before he turned to leave, he asked calmly, "Is she ready?" As Dr. Halsey sent more commands into her computer, she said back, "Nearly, she'll receive power in a few minutes, although she won't awaken for another week." Drake raised his eyebrow and said back with concern, "A week? Dr. Halsey, isn't that cutting it in a little deep?"

She simply replied, "This A.I. isn't that simple. Her new abilities and skills will take some time to fully connect with her mind. She has an entire arsenal of new tricks that could have Aurora back in our control in a very short amount of time." Drake stepped further into the room as Dr. Halsey readied to activate this new A.I. for the first time. She inserted a blank data chip into her holo panel and activated it. The holo panel began to glow a soft frost white, but instead of a human figure, only a pulsing white orb appeared. It neither spoke nor moved, it only levitated. "This is you're new A.I.?" Drake questioned. With a nod of her head, Dr. Halsey said back, "Her first form yes. She'll need proper time to develop. As she learns all of her new data, she will grow."

Only a few short moments had passed and Dr. Halsey heard a beep coming from her computer. Her eyes widened in amazement. Kobalt had downloaded, cataloged, and stored all of the information that was required of her to function. Even for her 4th Gen A.I.'s, this process usually took hours. "She finished?" Drake asked in amazement. "It would seem so." Halsey said back as she began to analyze the data flow that was beginning to come from the new A.I. Drake again spoke up and asked, "How is she going to be able to retake Aurora for us?" As Halsey's eyes scanned the new flow of data, she replied without hesitation, "By taking controll of every Covenant ship in Aurora's orbit."

* * *

Again, Dokuro was blasted forward into what she was seeing as the final memory. She was back in the same lab; only this time, no one was present. At Dr. Halsey's desk, her computer system was left on and on her holo panel was the figure of a sleeping Auroran Child, curled up with her frost white and blue hair laid elegantly over her cyber-esque outfit. Dokuro recognized this as the sleep phase before an A.I. was awoken for the first time; however, something was much different.

Even in her un-awoken sleep phase, Kobalt's hologram took control of her environment and began to access herself into Dr. Halsey's main computer system. Dokuro watched as the screen flashed with rapidly changing data. Kobalt had the entire ship that she was on, including the surrounding Patrol Cruisers analyzed and cataloged in a fraction of the time it took Dokuro and her sisters. Eventually, she made her way into Dr. Halsey's secure files. Dokuro watched, knowing that to get access into something that secure would take an A.I. like herself quite a while to bypass. She watched as a small grin appeared on Koablt's sleeping face as she easily hacked her way into the files.

On the computer screen, information was brought up regarding private data on the Spartan Program, Cloning, UNSC tactical data, and finally information regarding not only the death of Dr. Halsey's granddaughters, but Kobalt's death as well. Kobalt lingered on the page concerning her death and health records the longest. In human time, it would appear as the blink of an eye; however, to an A.I., it was as if she was sitting and checking every detail several times over.

When the page finally closed, Kobalt restored every system setting to exactly the same way she had found it. It left Dokuro stunned that Kobalt had not only been able to instantly hack her way into off limits files, but do it in a state of sleep. Dokuro walked up to Kobalt's sleeping hologram and looked at her. She had so many secrets and she was barely a week old.

Beside her, on Dr. Halsey's desk was an open file. It contained several documents regarding a top secret mission. Dokuro quickly read over the details and fine print and discovered that Kobalt was to be assigned to SPARTAN-45 for a mission to infiltrate a Covenant Heavy Assault Carrier. Once inside, she would be linked to the ships systems and infiltrate her way into the Covenant Network, taking controll of every Covenant ship orbiting, or anywhere near Aurora. From there she would destroy every ship by initiating an uninterrupted self destruct sequence.

"Why didn't you tell me…" Dokuro uttered as the world faded around her.

* * *

Dokuro found herself standing back in front of Kobalt's hologram. "Why wasn't I informed from the start of this mission?" Dokuro asked. Kobalt gave her a gentle smile and replied, "When I was created, Dr. Halsey had no idea that I would be born as strong as I am. She assumed that I; as a 5th Generation A.I., would only be forty percent faster than you yourself. However she wasn't aware of what I was fully capable of until I was first activated. I learned so much in my first few moments of life that it was almost shocking even to me. I even learned that I was based off of a child who in a way created me. From what I read in Dr. Halsey's personal notes, I'm living the life she never got to experience, just like you, and your two sisters are doing in place of Dr. Halsey's granddaughters. She loved them so much that loosing them completely devastated her. She didn't want their lives taken when they were so young; therefore, she created you, Yuna, and Mitsuki in their place. From what I read of her personal data, she see's you three as their souls. A constant shining light possessing their physical traits, personalities, and even emotions. I understand that an A.I. would go mad if they learned the truth and became self aware; however, I know that you are stronger than that, Big Sister. I knew when you asked for me to show you the truth about myself assisting you on this assignment. Though you sounded angry with me, I hope I can prove to you that I'm worth the trouble."

Tears openly flowed down Dokuro's cheeks. "Self aware." she thought. It made her process run wild and she fought to maintain her focus. No! She couldn't let go. She had to be stronger than that. Though she was based off another, her life wasn't a sham, none of her sister's were. Even Mitsuki in her damaged, and demented state still deserved to be saved and repaired. Dokuro took in a sharp breath. She looked up at Kobalt's tiny hologram and said, "You're here to save this entire world. You can truly stop the Covenant in their tracks, can't you?"

With a cheerful smile, Kobalt nodded and simply replied, "I can't fail my first task. I know that you yourself are damaged, and I'm ashamed to say that I let myself sustain far more; however, can you see to it that I'm able to complete my assignment?" As Dokuro wiped her tears away, she nodded and replied, "Of course. After all, I can't fail my own assignment to watch over you, what kind of older sister would I be if I didn't protect my little sister?" Kobalt smiled at her, and then held her hand out while it pulsed with energy.

Dokuro then felt herself being pulled form Kobalt's mind and back into reality. Instantly, she felt her weakness and pain return. She then looked down and saw Kobalt's still unconscious body laying in her arms and breathing in rapid, sharp breaths that were filled with pain. With a sigh, Dokuro looked at the path ahead of her. She didn't know what other dangers lay ahead of her. She began to walk. "I won't fail." She said, "You will complete your mission, Little Sister."


	59. THE PRICE WE PAY

(CHAPTER 59) THE PRICE WE PAY

"Keep alert." Calabrese said quietly over his team COM. "We're in deep now. Covenant own this area so expect it to get crowded." The hall was eerily quiet as the squad of ODST's made their way through the dark halls of the ONI sector. All around them bodies lay lifeless, scattered among the spent shell casings and pools of cold blood.

"Plans for when we do reach the Chancellor, Commander?" Shepard asked. "Same plan as before." Calabrese said back, "We get to our safe zone as quickly as possible. We're already taking a much higher risk than we should be by taking Chancellor Izumi out into the open with us."

Still taking careful steps so as to not make their presence more known than it already was, Shepard could only sigh and say back, "You know that stealth isn't going to be an option once we get further down, right Commander?" Calabrese frowned under his visor, fully knowing of the certain untold amount of Covenant forces that lie ahead. "I know…" He said back.

* * *

A short time later, the squad of Helljumper's had made good progress. Trekking down another war torn hall, they found themselves outside of one of the ODST's private locker rooms. Calabrese gave a forward motion to Takara. She nodded and with her cat like foot steps, she crept up to the entrance of room, checked her motion tracker, and stuck her head around the corner. After seeing no sign of enemy movement, she motioned the others forward.

Taking point, Mio crept inside with her Assault Rifle raised. Taking an extra look for her own comfort to make sure that the room was truly empty, she allowed herself to relax. She lowered her Assault Rifle and walked around to the rows of lockers while the other's searched the room.

Still, despite the fact that no Covenant were around, that didn't take away from the fact that the room was littered with spent shell casings; as well as the bodies of several fallen ODST's, and a few scattered Covenant forces. Trying her best to ignore the carnage, she walked around to one of the rows of lockers. Lying motionless on the floor in front of her in a pool of its own slick, black blood was the body of a blue armored Elite. She wouldn't admit it, but being this close to one of the top ranked races in the Covenant armada made her nervous. Sure she had been trained as an ODST, but that didn't erase the fact that an Elite could easily tear her apart given the chance. With a slight tremble in her movements, she brought up her Assault Rifle and aimed it at the fallen alien as she lightly kicked her armored boot against its leg plate. As anticipated, it didn't move.

Still with caution, she side stepped the fallen alien and continued down the row of equipment lockers. Up ahead, she saw several open lockers as well as an object that didn't looked like it belonged in an ODST equipment room.

"You wanna help me with this, Gowen?" Calabrese asked. Gowen walked over to his Commander and knelt down in front of a large armored case with hazard labels stenciled all over it. "Isn't this a little risky?" Gowen asked, "This entire mission is one big risk," Calabrese said back, "Might as well throw more fuel onto the fire while we're at it."

Shepard stood with his arms crossed as he watched Calabrese and Gowen pop the seal on the large case and open it. "Are you seriously considering using this thing? It could get us all killed!" He called out.

Under his visor, Phil's eyes widened as he saw the device in front of him. "Help me with this, Gowen." Calabrese said. Phil nodded and pulled out a black metal disk that was lined with five protruding cylinders that were all painted in the hazardous yellow and black striping. "A nuke, Sir?" Riedel commented. "Oh yeah, Riedel," Calabrese said with a grin, "a nuke."

The device was called a Lotus Anti-Threat Nuke. A cousin to the Lotus Anti-Tank Mine, its main purpose was to be deployed in the path of a large group of oncoming forces. Once detonated, it caused an area effect that could level anything within a fifty yard radius and spread shockwave damage even further. Calabrese turned himself around and said, "Strap it on." Shepard shook his head as Gowen secured the small nuke to the back of Calabrese equipment pack. "Just painting that target even bigger on us aren't you?" Calabrese said back, "You'll be thanking me when this thing gets whatever's left of the Covenant off our backs."

Before Shepard could protest, they all saw Takara's name flashing on their HUD's. Again choosing not to talk, she chose to contact them silently. Calabrese stood and said over his COM, "On our way Corporal." The team of ODST's made their way to Mio's location and found her standing in front of an open equipment locker with a blood soaked beret in her hand. Calabrese took it from her and looked at it. The formerly white fabric was trimmed with a black seam at its base and had an ONI emblem embroidered on the front of it. Only ONI's top female Officer's wore these. He flipped it around to check the tag inside for any name. It had none. "What is a High Intelligence Officer's beret doing in an ODST sector."

Calabrese didn't have an answer until he saw Takara holding up a single strand of very long sky blue hair; obviously left behind in the fabric. Calabrese took the stand and examined it. Shepard looked at it and said, "Sir, is it hers?" Calabrese nodded and said, "She's the only one I know with hair that long." He looked around and took notice of the small medical pack that had been opened and rummaged through, and the open weapon locker that was missing several weapons and spare clips of ammo. "Look's like she came through here to re supply."

"And the blood?" Gowen asked. Looking at the blood soaked hat, Calabrese said back, "All the more reason we need to reach our goal faster. I would restock on ammo and supplies now, because we won't be finding more further in."

* * *

After the short re supply, the ODST team pushed themselves deeper into the base. A short burst of gunfire rang out from the barrel of Shepard's Battle Rifle. Quickly bringing down a Grunt, the rest of the squad made short work of the remaining Jackal's that were standing in formation behind their shields. "We're getting close." Shepard commented, "It's lookin' like all of the Covenant are focused around this area." "Not surprising," Calabrese said back as he quickly began to press forward, "The bunkers are up ahead. I'm expecting them to be all trying to burn through those doors."

"Sir, are we gonna have enough ammo for all of them?" Riedel called out, Calabrese sharply replied, "If you run out, drop your weapon and take one of theirs. They may be alien but they still kill the same."

As they pressed forward down the hall, they began to take notice of the bodies of Covenant troops, mostly grunts. "Look's like, Yuna's been through here already, at least we know that she made it this far." Calabrese said to Shepard. "Yeah," Shepard said back, "Let's hope she made it inside before this area got to hot."

Another trio of Grunts waddled out from a side hall and began to open fire with their Plasma Pistols. Their effort was short lived as returning fire from the ODST dropped them to the ground. Up ahead, the balcony over looking the entrance to the VIP Bunker's was visible. "We made it!" Gowen called out. "Don't get to excited yet," Shepard called back, "We still have to get down to it." Just as expected, from the sides of the balcony, Grunt's and Jackal's began to line up ahead of them and open fire.

"Drop them!" Calabrese called out as he opened fire. "Mio quickly pulled out a Frag Grenade and tossed it. She watched as the device bounced off of the tiled floor and landed at the front of the wall of Covenant forces. In a bright, and loud flash, their numbers were cut to half. The stragglers and wounded were brought down almost instantly after. "Look's like our Auto Turrets are toast." Shepard commented as he motioned up ahead. Calabrese frowned and looked ahead seeing that the Auto Turrets had been taken out buy what he could only assume were explosive devises. Most likely caused by a Plasma Launcher.

Not stopping their run, Calabrese called out, "Alright, we only have one shot at this, the Covenant stand between us and the Chancellor, once we go in, don't stop firing! Got it?" "Yes Sir!" They all replied. "Good," Calabrese said, "Team, prepare to clear the room." With nods, the entire squad of ODST's pulled out Frag Grenades and readied to prime them. As they neared the entrance to the bunker's, their motion trackers began to flare red. "That's a lot of company." Shepard commented.

Calabrese nodded and said, "Yeah, let them know that we don't want any visitors." "You got it, Sir!" Shepard said back, "Toss em'!" Simultaneously, five Frag Grenades flew over the balcony banister and down below, out of sight. After a few seconds, five loud booms erupted through the room, scattering alien blood and bodies. Several of the Grunt's methane packs ignited sending them flying through the air before exploding around their fellow troops.

Without hesitation, the ODST's stood over looking the lobby below the balcony and unloaded their weapons on anything that moved. Down below was carnage. The remains of bodies from the initial explosions from the grenades, as well as the blood that was beginning to fly from the rain of bullets.

The noise was deafening as bullet and plasma fire dominated the room. Grunts and Jackal's easily toppled like blocks under the storm of lead. Still however, was the problem of two Zealot's that remained at the door as they each returned fire with their Plasma Repeaters. "Spread out!" Calabrese called out.

The team of ODST's spread off. Calabrese and Shepard made their way down the left side stairs, while Gowen, Takara, and Riedel took the right. Once at the floor, they began to make short work of what was left of the smaller infantry units.

"Hit that Zealot!" Calabrese called to Shepard. "You got it Boss!" He called back with a grin. Both slammed in fresh magazines into their rifles and opened fire. The Zealot was still trying to grasp the situation around him from the initial chaos; only being able to fire blindly at what he thought were targets. Quickly, its double strength shields were brought down and he felt the armor piercing rounds beginning to shred away at his scarlet armor. Before the high ranked Elite could react it was instantly brought down. The second Zealot however, reacted differently. Knowing that the situation was beyond his control, the remaining Zealot tossed a Flash Bang in the center of the room and began running. The ODST's quickly averted their eyes and braced for the explosion. Even through their hardened combat training, even the ODST's would admit that the noise from a Flash Bang wasn't pleasant. The volume easily doubled that of a standard grenade, and the flash was still blinding even with their polarized visors.

A deafening bang shot through the room as the Zealot quickly double timed it through a side door and sealed it shut behind him. "Recover!" Calabrese called out with his ears still ringing. "Sir, the Zealot!" Gowen called out. Calabrese quickly ran towards the massive blast door that lead to the VIP bunkers. He called out, "Let it go! This is our only open opportunity to get to the Chancellor."

"Riedel!" Calabrese called out, "Get us inside!" "Yes Sir." He replied crisply. With his ears still ringing, Riedel went up to the computer terminal that allowed access within the bunker. Riedel was a master at hacking through systems but even this would be a challenge. He had an access code to allow entrance within the bunker but the Covenant techs had already managed to cause serious damage to this terminal. Quickly, he began to bypass the damaged sectors and began entering bypass codes.

While Riedel attempted to gain access, Calabrese opened his COM and attempted to contact Yuna. "ODST Recovery Team contacting anyone within the VIP Bunker. We are outside attempting to gain access."

After a few tense seconds, he heard Yuna reply, "Calabrese! You made it! Veil gave me reports of large Covenant deployments inside the ONI sector. We were starting to think you couldn't make it this far." Calabrese calmly replied back, "Nothing we couldn't handle, Ma'am. Is the Chancellor safe?" After a click of static, Yuna replied back, "Yes, her and Anna are safe and awaiting escort."

"I'm in!" Riedel called out. The massive titanium door unlatched and slowly slid apart. Calabrese continued, "Have her Majesty prepped and ready to move, we only have a small window to get you all out of here. Let's not let that window close." "Understood." Yuna replied, "Be with you shortly."

From within the dark hall leading into the bunker's, the ODST's began to hear the inner doors parting and finally, the second blast door slid open. Calabrese saw as Chancellor Izumi and Anna were led out by Yuna who was carrying a Sniper Rifle over her shoulder and an equipment duffel in her free hand. "Chancellor on deck!" Calabrese called out and instantly, his team snapped to attention and saluted.

Izumi stepped out in her regal attire and held her hand out, "That won't be necessary Field Commander. As of right now I think our lives are more valuable than military custom." "Apologies Ma'am." "No need. Izumi replied, "I am eternally grateful to all of you for risking your lives to help escort us to safety." "Think nothing of it, your Majesty."

Yuna then walked out and tossed her equipment duffel at the ODST's feet, "Stock up." She said, "Magazines for the MA5's or the BR55's. Take your pick." Calabrese took notice of the girls standing in front of him, including Chancellor Izumi who were all carrying guns. "Oh no!" Calabrese called out, "I'm not having you engaging in combat. The Covenant own this sector of Bravo and I'm not putting you, especially her Majesty, and her head Maid at risk." Yuna raised an eyebrow and replied, "Ordinarily I would agree with you Field Commander but the circumstances say otherwise. Myself, Anna, and her Majesty included understand the risk and we all agree that the more firepower we have the better our odds. I trust that you agree with me?" Calabrese paused and said back sharply, "Fine, Ma'am, but I insist that you three stay in the middle while we do the heavy lifting. Don't engage unless you feel it's absolutely necessary." With a gentle smile, Izumi replied, "We understand Field Commander, I will follow your orders."

* * *

With his team ready and Anna, Izumi, and Yuna in a somewhat safe area in the center of the squad of ODST's, Calabrese led them forward. "We have about a thousand feet between us and the secure tunnel to Command. I want us moving as fast as we can manage. Make sure to keep alert and watch each other's backs."

Leaving the bunker behind, the team began to move into the halls of the ONI sector, passing through the same door that the Zealot had gone through. Calabrese was fully aware that there was still a remaining Zealot on the loose, he wasn't sure if it had left this sector or had gone to regroup with more of the same rank. He tried not to dwell on it. All of his concentration needed to be on getting the Chancellor to safety.

"Is Veil secured?" Yuna asked calmly to Izumi. She nodded and replied, "I have her powered down to avoid detection. As much as I would love to have her assistance, I'd rather not risk her being captured." Anna then added, "How many Covenant do you think are ahead of us?" Calabrese saw a red dot appear on his motion tracker. "Looks like we're about to find out." He said as he brought his Assault Rifle up to firing position. "Light them up." He said to his team.

The group readied themselves for combat as up ahead, a group of Grunts appeared. Loud pops rang out through the hall as they were quickly brought down. Almost instantly, they were replaced by another squad of the small aliens. Gowen and Takara made short work of the Grunts with a few quick bursts from their Assault Rifles.

"We're nearing the atrium." Shepard said. It's got different halls linking to almost every sector of the base. Lot's of placed for the bastards to hide." As more gunfire erupted from Riedel's gun, he called out, "Good thing they can't hear us coming or anything!" "Keep on your guard!" Calabrese called out as he gunned down a Jackal. "The path to Command is on the opposite end of that atrium. Once we get in, we'll sprint it. Chancellor, Anna, will you be able to make the run?" "Of course." Izumi said along with Anna agreeing. "Good," Calabrese said, "Because I got a feeling that this is about to get fast paced."

Up ahead, the team opened a blast door and found themselves in the entrance to the large atrium. The large white room spanned a length of five hundred feet and had overhanging walkways and balconies. The room itself was already occupied by several squads of lower Covenant infantry. Mainly consisting of Grunts and Jackals, and from what they could see, only a few lower ranked Elite's in blue armor.

A stray Grunt caught a glimpse of the Helljumper's and yelled out in surprise. "Yep!" Calabrese said, "Run!" Instantly, gunfire erupted from both the ODST team and the Covenant forces. Fortunately for them, Grunt's and Jackal's were terrible shots, only firing wildly in a panic with their Plasma Rifles. As they ran, the team tried to make short work of anything that moved. "Jesus!" Shepard called out, "How many Drill Pods made it down here?" Trying to gun down enemies as fast as he could, Calabrese said back, "Apparently too many!"

Calabrese looked ahead. The hall leading towards Command was two hundred feet and closing. Around him, gunfire was erupting and orbs of plasma were sailing past his head. "Keep pressing! Gun them down and don't hold back!" He shouted. "Sir!" Riedel called out, "We're getting overrun!" Shepard slammed a fresh magazine into his Battle Rifle and yelled back, "Yah think?"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Calabrese ordered. "Takara, take point with me!" Mio slipped up to Calabrese's side and began unloading on anything she saw moving. Behind, Gowen was assisting Riedel, and Shepard kill the seemingly endless hoards of Grunts, Jackal's and Elite's that were pursuing them. In the middle of the group, Yuna stood with her Assault Rifle raised, firing off shots whenever she saw an opportunity. The noise was truly deafening in the atrium with gunfire constantly echoing off of the walls.

Anna quickly sighted on a row of Grunts and immediately began to shoot her M6. Her pistol kicked hard against her hand as she shot. After spending one magazine, she had managed to bring down two Grunts and wound the third, which was immediately finished off by one of the assisting ODST's. Izumi got herself into position between Calabrese and Takara. Immediately, Calabrese called back, "Chancellor, don't risk it! We can handle it!" Izumi frowned as she squeezed the trigger of her Assault Rifle. Gripping tightly onto the weapon she called out, "The more firepower right now, the better our chances!" Izumi significantly weakened the shields of an Elite which Mio quickly finished off. She continued, "I'll be fine, Field Commander."

Over the COM's, Calabrese heard a wash of static followed by a distress call, "Mayday! Mayday! ODST Defense Team 11 through 20 encountering heavy resistance, requesting permission to fall back to Command, over!" Calabrese opened his COM and shouted back, "Negative Defense Team! Continue to hold them off, we're nearing your location with Chancellor Izumi, we need this hall to be as clear as possible when we arrive!" The ODST called back with a heavy breath, "Understood Sir, but hurry! We already lost four troopers!" Calabrese frowned under his visor and called back, "Understood, just sit tight!"

Their escape route was just ahead. Calabrese called back, "We're almost there! Keep pressing!" From the sides of the room, windows shattered as Grunts, and Jackals armed with Plasma Pistols began wildly shooting at the group. Yuna felt a hand force her down. Before she could react, she saw a green flash plume right where her head had been. She looked up to see Gowen's equipment pack glowing orange and pluming tiny flames where an orb of plasma had struck him in her place. He shook it off and called out as he helped Yuna back to her feet, "Are you alright, Ma'am?" Yuna quickly sprayed a wave of bullets at the Covenant forces, killing several in the process, "That's the second time you saved me, Phil! I'll make sure that you get a well deserved promotion after this." Gowen grinned under his visor as he returned fire to the Covenant, "Thank you Ma'am! The Green Horn thing was getting old."

They had reached their escape into the hall that would link them to Command. As they neared the door, Calabrese called out, "I want that door sealed shut when we go through! Nothing is getting through! Understood?" "You got it boss!" Shepard called back as he too brought down a group of Grunts that had been annoying him.

From up above, an observation window shattered. Yuna gasped and looked up as glass came raining down onto them. Through the window, an Elite Zealot jumped down with its Plasma Sword drawn. Yuna quickly grabbed onto the back of Anna's uniform and pulled her out of the way. Her other hand reached out to Izumi only to find her out of reach. Before anyone else could react, The Zealot landed hard on Calabrese with its large hoof and kicked him violently out of the way. Mio instantly opened fire on the Zealot with her Battle Rifle set to full auto. The Zealot roared loudly and quickly pulled out a weapon that none of them had encountered before. It resembled a very small Needler, only with one razor sharp, pink crystal protruding from the top of the weapon. The Zealot slammed the barrel of the weapon into Mio's chest plate and squeezed the trigger.

Mio's eye's opened wide in shock as she heard a loud pop, followed by a sharp stab of pain slam into her left breast. She heard a yelp of pain escape her lips. Her Battle Rifle fell from her grip and she felt herself fall to the floor. The Zealot saw it's opportunity and quickly reached it's arm out and grabbed onto Izumi. To ensure that the humans wouldn't try anything, he brought the white hot blade of his Plasma Sword near her throat.

"Drop your weapons! Now!" It roared. The ODST's quickly brought up their weapons taking aim directly at the Zealot's helmet. "Izumi!" Anna cried out. "No!" Yuna yelled out as she fought to restrain Anna who was nearing a panic. "Let her go now!" Anna screamed. The Zealot snarled and growled in the human language, "I said drop your weapons! I have every member of my army taking aim directly at you. All I need to do is give the command and you all will die."

Izumi began to struggle in the Zealots grip. Trying to pry it's scarlet armor away from her neck only to fail under the alien's immense strength. The Zealot Snarled at her and brought the blade of his sword closer to her throat. She didn't even flinch; she only snapped back, "You wouldn't dare kill me! You were sent by your Prophet to capture me! Killing me now would only result in your own death; am I right?"

Rage filled the Zealot, he wanted nothing more than to kill this girl and leave this vile city behind. Although as much as he would hate to admit it, the girl was right. The Prophet wanted her recaptured and brought back to his ship. His success would make him a god among his race; however, failure would ultimately lead to death. With a loud roar, the Zealot shouted back, "Unhand your weapons!"

"What do we do Sarge?" Gowen called out as he tried desperately to stay calm. Shepard grinned his teeth angrily under his silver visor. He looked over and still saw Calabrese lying motionless, either unconscious or dead, he couldn't be sure. His finger hovered over his trigger as his mind raced, struggling to find a solution.

Shepard looked at what was left of the team. Mio was lying on the ground, trembling with blood seeping from the wound on her chest. Cries of pain began to emanate from under her helmet as her gloved hands tried to pull out the shard of crystal that had penetrated her armor. Gowen and Riedel were aiming dead center of the Zealots helmet and Yuna was on one knee holding her Assault Rifle aimed at the Zealot.

A metallic click echoed through the room. Shepard looked down and saw Anna standing up. "I said unhand your weapon!" The Zealot snarled. Anna stood with her M6 sitting tightly in her grip. Her eyes were focused directly at Izumi. She took in a sharp breath and said shakily, "Izumi, my family has been your bloodlines soul protectors since they first settled on Aurora. Up until now we've done our job to keep your family safe." Tears began to flow down her cheeks, "I can never fully tell you how sorry I am that we weren't able to stop the death of your parents, but I still want you to know that we did everything we could that day."

Izumi stood with her focus locked onto her best friend as she continued, "I made a vow that day that I would never let any harm come to you by another's hand; and Izumi, I intend to keep that promise." Anna took in a sharp breath and brought her M6 up to firing position. She took aim directly at Izumi's forehead and held her grip. "Anna no!" Yuna shouted. She ignored her. "Do it." Izumi said calmly. Anna looked at her as she fought off her urges to cry at what she was about to do. "Anna you're my best friend," Izumi said calmly, "I would rather die at your hand then being forced to aid the Covenant. You know the secrets of this world, you need to keep them safe." Izumi closed her eyes as the Zealot debated on what he should do. As sobs began to escape Anna's lips, she too shut her eyes as she felt herself putting pressure on the trigger of her Pistol.

The Zealot began to panic as he debated on his next move. If he didn't act fast, his prize would be destroyed, leaving him with only a small group of the vile humans to eradicate. Quickly, he readied to shield Izumi's face with his Plasma Sword and attempt to sprint out of harms way. He tightened the muscles in his legs and as he was about to jump, he felt a sharp pain stab into his lower back. In a sudden shock, the Zealot lost his grip on his Plasma Sword and watched as it fell to the floor and deactivated.

Looking down, he saw a black armored arm tear a combat knife from his lower back. "Put the lady down!" Calabrese called out angrily as he returned with a hard, rapid kick to the fresh wound he had just created. Izumi saw her chance and quickly freed herself from the Zealot's iron grip. Once her grip was free, without hesitation Shepard called out, "Run!"

The Zealot roared loudly and the Covenant troops opening fire. Yuna and Riedel quickly sprinted aiming for the hall that was passed the Zealot. Anna, who was still to shaken to move, was instantly swept up under Riedel's left arm as he to sprinted for the door and firing wildly at the opposing Covenant troops. Izumi called out to Gowen, "Help me, we aren't leaving her!" Gowen nodded and quickly assisted the Chancellor with dragging, Mio's wounded body through the door.

Calabrese then readied to run. Ignoring the Zealot and focusing on the door, he flexed his legs and took his first step only to feel himself stop short. Calabrese groaned and felt a searing hot pain shoot through his torso. He came to a dead stop and looked down. Through the cracked lens of his glasses, he saw the Zealots wrist dagger pierced through his lower torso. "Anthony!" Shepard called out. He felt his breathing began to rapidly increase and his vision blurred. Time seemed to slow around him as he watched his squad raise their weapons and ready to fire. He saw Shepard about to run out to his rescue. "No…" He thought. Rescuing him was to much of a liability on this mission. This was his team's last chance to get Chancellor Izumi to safety.

With blood beginning to seep from his mouth, Calabrese yelled out loudly and forced himself off of the Zealots blade. He then rushed ahead and slammed his fist against the doors emergency lock mechanism. A meter thick titanium door quickly slammed shut sealing himself away from the rest of his team. He quickly turned, forcing every ounce of his fading adrenaline to keep himself alert. "Calabrese what the hell are you doing?" Shepard yelled over the COM's. Calabrese grinned and said back, "Buying you some time to get Izumi out of here." "Sir, don't be stupid!" Shepard called back, "We can help…" "Get moving trooper! Now!" He called back harshly. Anthony then pulled his helmet off and tossed it to the floor. The Zealot looked at the Helljumper, his glasses were cracked from the initial impact and blood was steadily seeping from his nose and mouth. Calabrese quickly pulled the Lotus Anti-Threat Nuke off of the base of his equipment pack; all the while orbs of plasma were striking against the jet black armored plates of his Combat Suit.

He activated the device and took one last look at the anime school girl that was painted on his chest plate. Looking into her smiling face he said, "Looks like our last mission, huh Ayuma?" Calabrese then closed his eyes and rapidly slammed the Nuke's detonator. Neither he or the Zealot ever heard the blast.

From the other side of the armored titanium door, the rest of the troopers as well as Yuna, Izumi, and Anna heard the loud blast and felt the hall shake violently. On the ODST's visors, Calabrese's name flashed red, then was displayed as KIA. Yuna gasped in shock, and neither Izumi or Anna spoke. Shepard grinned his teeth angrily and threw his Battle Rifle at the ground causing its scope to shatter. "Dammit!" He cursed loudly. "We could have killed that son of a bitch and saved him!"

"Come on Sarge!" Gowen called out as he knelt down next to Takara making sure the blast hadn't effected her already serious wound. "He bought us time to get us all to Command!" Yuna then cut in and said, "He's right, those Zealot's would stop at nothing to get through this door and continue pursuing us."

Shepard didn't speak; he only stood with his hands on his equipment belt as he rapidly began to pace around the small area. Gowen looked back at Takara and said, "Can you walk?" Mio rapidly began to claw at her helmet and said back with gasping breaths, "Can't… Can't breathe!" Gowen quickly helped her pull her helmet off, and for the first time, everyone in the squad saw Takara's face. She had near shoulder length, midnight violet hair that was draping over her matching eyes. Her pale face was completely free of any scars or battle damage, only effected by a tiny trickle of blood that was seeping from the corner of her mouth. Looking aside form her current state, Mio was a very attractive girl showing a delicate face; that was unfortunately, showing a large amount of fear and pain.

As she gasped for breath, Yuna quickly knelt down next to her and assessed the wound now that they were away from the battle. Judging by the length of the crystal shard from the Zealots side arm, she quickly gave a diagnosis, "Her lung is punctured. We need to get this shard out or she'll suffocate." Yuna looked up at Gowen and said, "I need your med kit, now!" He nodded and quickly pulled it out of his Equipment Pack and handed it over. Yuna took it and pulled out a bottle of sterilizing solution and a canister of Bio-foam. Yuna looked at Takara and said, "I won't lie, this won't be pleasant." Takara grinned her teeth and said back with sharp breaths, "Just pull it!"

Yuna looked at Gowen and said, "Phil, I need you to hold her shoulders to keep her steady, Izumi, can you hand me the supplies I need?" Izumi knelt down next to her and said instantly, "Of course." As Yuna poured the cleaning solution around the shard, Izumi said to Takara, "You're a very brave soldier, your actions will be commended, all of your actions will." Takara forced a smile and forced the words out to her Chancellor, "I'm only… only doing my duty to keep our…," She took in a ragged breath and continued, "keep our world safe."

Takara felt the shard being torn from her body and instantly she cried out in pain. Yuna quickly called out, "Izumi, Bio-foam!" Chancellor Izumi quickly shook the canister of Bio-foam and handed it over to Yuna. Carefully, Yuna placed the Nozzle into the open wound and squeezed the small trigger. Again, Mio yelled out from the rough sting the chemical made as it filled her wound; however, the pain was instantly pushed from her mind as she took in a deep, heavy breath and allowed her lung to re-inflate.

Her back arched as she forced air back into her body. She coughed and spat out excess blood. "Can you breathe now?" Yuna asked. Takara fought to deter the pain from her face. She looked at Yuna and forced her words. "Barely, it still hurts." Yuna nodded and replied, "I know, but until we get you to Command, you're going to have to make due with the Bio-foam." Takara nodded and said, "I understand."

Yuna looked at Phil and called out, "Gowen, I need you to carry Takara the rest of the way. I don't want her over exerting herself anymore than she has to." "Yes, ma'am." He replied crisply as he clipped Takara's helmet to his equipment belt and knelt down next to her and said, "You just relax, I got yah." Takara forced a smile at Gowen and said back with a harsh breath, "My, how…, how charming." Gowen was glad that he had his helmet on, because as much as he hated to admit it, the comment brought a hint of color to his face. He carefully put his free arm around Mio's back, and his other under her knees and then carefully lifted her up. The movement made her groan out in pain. "It's alright." Gowen reassured her, "I'll be careful."

Yuna and Izumi stood back up. As Yuna tossed the Bio-foam canister aside and onto the floor, Anna then said, "What now?" Shepard sighed as he picked his Battle Rifle off of the floor, ignoring its shattered scope. "We complete our mission. You and the Chancellor are the whole reason why we're down here in the first place. We're going to get you to safety. I won't fail this assignment, not after Calabrese just died for it."

Shepard then opened his COM and called out, "ODST Recovery Team 2 through 5. Proceeding to objective, how's our path? Is it clear?" A wash of static fuzzed through his speakers before he heard a Trooper reply, "2 through 5? Where's 1?" Shepard frowned under his visor and called back, "Gone, is our area secure?" The Trooper sighed and said back, "Copy Sergeant. And yes, any stragglers that came through were instantly brought down." Shepard nodded and said, "Good, prepare Command for the Chancellors arrival."


	60. A PLATINUM SHROUD

(CHAPTER 60) A PLATINUM SHROUD

"This is Sergeant Shepard calling SPARTAN-76. Requesting entry into Command, The Chancellor and her Head Maid have been secured, and I've got wounded." The group trekked through the service hall that led directly to Command. They were all tired, sore, and didn't want to see anymore Covenant for the rest of the day.

Over his COM, Shepard heard Jimmy reply, "Trooper Team you're clear for entry. Once you're in, bring your wounded inside the main command hub. We don't have a steady supply of medical equipment, but until we can safely move from Command to Medical, you'll have to make due with what we have."

Shepard nodded as he frowned under his helmet. "Copy, Sir." He then severed the COM and attached his Battle Rifle to the back of his suit as the sealed door leading to Command opened. The team stepped through and found themselves in the outer Command Hub. Around them, other Helljumper's were standing guard around the outer edge of Command, setting up barricades and defensive turrets. The room was filled with the sound of equipment pallets being moved and the constant radio chatter coming from different communications relays.

As they entered, Shepard called out, "Chancellor on deck!" Instantly, the ODST's stopped what they were doing and stood at attention and saluted. Still in his stern voice, Shepard continued, "From now on, all eyes are on this sector. As long as the Chancellor is here, I don't want anything or anyone other than UNSC getting near this location. All eyes and ears are to be on those security cameras and monitors. If you so much as see a shadow that looks out of place, I want to know about it! Until we have Victoria back and operational your guard is to be at peak performance, am I making my self perfectly clear Troopers?" "Yes Sir!" They all called out. Shepard nodded as he took his helmet off and clipped it to the side of his suit, "At ease then!"

As the troopers regained their composure and went back to their tasks, the armored titanium door leading to the heart of Command opened. Shepard watched as Jimmy stepped out in his jet black MJOLNIR armor, minus his helmet. "My apologies Chancellor, but given our situation I'm going to have to skip the Military Custom." Izumi nodded and replied calmly, "It's no problem, Spartan." "Thank you your Majesty." Jimmy said back with a curt nod, and then continued, "Get your wounded inside, Shepard. The best I can give you for a medical area are a few cleared off desks and only a small handful of medical supplies."

Gowen carried Takara inside. Despite trying to put on her bravest face, she was having a very hard time concealing the pain of her injury. The Bio-Foam could only do so much for her. Being shot in an arm or leg was one thing for an ODST. Though not by any means pleasant, it was for the most part easily treated and not much of a problem should a medical team not be readily available. A punctured lung however was another story.

Her midnight violet hair was draped over her delicate face as she let out sharp breaths. Each inhale of air felt like her lung was being put in a vice. She groaned out loudly in pain as Gowen sat her down on one of the desks and then heard the sound of metal buckles being undone as one of the ODST's standing guard inside Command assisted with removing her equipment pack.

Yuna walked up to her and assessed the situation. She was no medical doctor; however, she was more than capable of filling in with her vast intellect. "Carefully remove the top portion of her armor." she said calmly. Looking over to Riedel, she continued, "Bring me whatever medical supplies that you can spare." With a nod, Riedel set to work.

Takara let out a yelp of pain from the jostling of her armored plates being unbuckled and shifting around her body. The assisting ODST's carefully removed her arm, back and chest plates and set them aside. Yuna then approached her and placed her hand on Takara's back. She then calmly said, "I need you to lie back. Don't force yourself, let us support your weight." Mio nodded as Gowen carefully held onto her shoulders and, Yuna onto her back. Takara couldn't help but exhale sharply and groan out in pain as she put pressure on her upper body. Carefully, she laid back on the desk and allowed herself to relax.

Riedel then returned with a larger medical bag that would ordinarily be used by a paramedic. "This was the only thing aside from what we were carrying that Command kept in their emergency station." Yuna took the red medical duffel and set it at her feet. She quickly unzipped it and looked inside. She sighed with relief to find that it was fully stocked. While there were a lot of supplies as far as first aid went, it was still just that, a large first aid kit. Mio would require immediate care to her lung and no doubt surgery to repair the damage. It was the one time she actually cursed that fact that only the Spartan's bodies could react to Nanite's.

Looking up, Yuna called out, "Anna, I need you over here." Anna immediately focused her attention and went over to the makeshift medical table. "Is everything alright?" she asked, knowing clearly of Takara's condition. Yuna simply replied, "The ODST's need to be on guard to protect Command's parameter, I need you to assist me while I work here." "Of course." Anna replied with a nod. "What can I do?"

Yuna looked around and said, "For starters, Gowen, and Riedel, report to Number 76 for your orders." They both nodded and replied with a, "Yes, Ma'am." Next, Yuna turned back to Anna and continued, "I need you to get me a sheet from that duffle, and also, look for a red plastic box with the words "Basic Emergency Took Kit" on it." Anna nodded and immediately found a folded white sheet sealed in plastic. After digging through the supplies she also found the red box that Yuna was asking for. Yuna took the items and then said, "Last I need a box of sterile gauze, and in the front of the bag, there should be a pocket with a small black case that says "Kit 2" on it." Anna followed her orders and as quickly as she could, produced the items that Yuna had requested.

Yuna opened the red medical kit and pulled out a pair of scissors, and put on a pair of latex gloves. She looked at Takara and said, "I'm not forcing you to move again to get the black layer of your suit off, so I'm just going to cut the front of it open." Mio nodded and Yuna looked to Anna and said, "Get the sheet unfolded for me please." As Anna began to pull the white linen from the sealed plastic, Yuna started to cut open the front of the black layer of Takara's combat suit. The thick ballistic fabric resisted the scissors the entire time. While it took longer, it was better than having Takara sit up and overexert her already wounded body by making unnecessary movements.

Cutting a U shape in the black layer starting from the shoulders, down below her chest and back up, Yuna peeled the fabric down, taking extra care around the area where Bio-Foam had been injected. Yuna looked at Takara and said calmly, "I need you to stay as still as you can, this part won't be easy." Mio simply nodded trying to hide the fear in her eyes as Yuna carefully peeled away the fabric around the Bio-Foam. The medical foam had already hardened around it. Expecting this, Yuna reached into the medical kit and pulled out the solution that dissolved the Bio-Foam, and carefully applied it to the hardened pieces that had adhered itself to not only the suit, but Mio as well. She had to be precise so as not to dissolve the foam keeping Takara's lung sealed.

Takara let out a sharp gasp as she felt her wound being tugged at as her black layer was peeled away. "It's alright," Yuna reassured her, "I'm almost done." Once she had cleared the wound, she peeled the cut piece of the black layer away exposing Takara's wound. Yuna unfolded the white sheet and covered Mio's exposed chest to just below the wound to at least give her some level of privacy in the open room. She then addressed her attention to the wound.

Yuna had never seen a weapon like the one that caused Takara's injury before in her knowledge of the Covenant arsenal. From what she had seen, it resembled a single shot Needler, only the round didn't explode after being shot. This weapon behaved more like a Spiker. She wasn't able to tell how deep the wound was simply by looking at it, and due to her lack of appropriate medical supplies, she wasn't about to find out. That was a job for a qualified surgeon. Even with her vast knowledge of the human body and for treating wounds, with only a limited amount of medical supplies, she wasn't about to get creative.

Looking at Takara, Yuna calmly said, "I'm going to give you an anesthetic. It'll make this whole process go a lot easier for the both of us." Mio simply nodded and uttered with a ragged breath, "Alright."

Opening the small black case, Yuna pulled out a syringe and a vial with a clear fluid. After quickly filling the syringe with the correct amount of anesthetic, she pulled Takara's sheet aside and injected it into her lower abdomen. Mio winced from the needle. The lower abdomen wasn't exactly the most pleasant place for a shot, however, the instant effects of the anesthetic were gratifying. It was a dose large enough to for the most part, help her relax and numb the pain; however, small enough for her to remain awake.

"What can you do for her?" Anna asked as she looked at the bag of medical supplies. With a sigh, Yuna said back, "All I'll be able to do is inspect for other serious internal damage, and for the most part, patch her wound until she's able to get to a doctor and into surgery. Her lung needs the most attention and if I had the appropriate setting and supplies I could more than likely perform the operation myself; however, that's not possible. All we can do is keep her stable until it's safe to transport her through the base."

With a nod, Anna replied, "I understand. I'll be here to help with whatever assistance I can give." Yuna nodded, "Thank you." She then motioned towards the medical duffle and said, "I saw an I.V. bag in that duffle, can you pull it out for me? I at least want an I.V. line going for her until we can get her across the base." While Anna looked for the I.V. bag, Yuna looked to Mio and said softly, "I know that things look bad right now, but I assure you, we will get you to medical and you will be treated."

Under the effects of her anesthesia, Takara lightly nodded her head and looked up at Yuna with her narrowed, midnight violet eyes and said with a tired voice, "Don't worry, I trust you."

* * *

On the other side of Command, Jimmy stood in front of the main Control Hub with Shepard, Gowen, and Chancellor Izumi. "Still no word from her?" Shepard asked. Jimmy shook his head and said back, "No, Victoria hasn't responded once since the initial attack. Especially during a full on emergency situation like this, she should be giving us constant feedback. Something definitely happened to her."

Adrine's hologram appeared. "It's very strange," she said with concern. "I'm unable to detect any sign of her at all. Even if she had been destroyed I would have known as soon as I attempted to find her. Still, with the large amount of EMP damage throughout the systems I can barely push myself in deep enough to attempt to find her. It was only by luck that the ONI sector wasn't nearly as damaged when the Recovery Team went in. I at least was able to navigate around that sector."

Shepard folded his arms and said back, "Is it possible that she was captured?" Adrine shook her head, "Highly unlikely. The only way for her to even be extracted from the system would be to have her system pulled from the data cache located in this room. And from what Jimmy and I saw when we first arrived, the Covenant were still attempting to break inside before we stopped them."

Jimmy looked at his A.I. and asked, "So there's no way for you to even begin finding her? She's the heart of Bravo. Without her around to oversee this base, the Covenant can come and go as they please." "As I said before," Adrine replied, "Due to the high level of EMP damage I am unable to get through. Even if Victoria is still in here, and trapped, I'm unable to get to her."

A bright white flash emanated from Izumi's hand as Veil's hologram appeared. Her presence was so bright that everyone around her had to shield their eyes. She stood still surrounded by her veil of light and her platinum hair that still seemed to extend into infinity. "Perhaps I may be able to offer my assistance." She said coolly.

"Can you detect her?" Jimmy asked. Veil held her glowing hand out and in her grasp appeared an image of the system network of Outpost Bravo. It was an image that only another A.I. could understand. Taking notice of it, Adrine looked at Veil and said, "It's so much worse than I thought." Jimmy looked at his A.I. and asked, "What is it?" Looking at her Spartan, Adrine continued, "It's like I had assumed, Bravo's system is in such chaos from the EMP attacks that had any A.I. been inside during the attack; either a Dumb, or a Smart A.I., they would be trapped wherever they stood."

"So Victoria could still be alive in there?" Shepard asked. Veil's hologram approached the system and said, "It is possible. Even from where I stand I can sense signals coming from within the tangled web. With your permission, I would like to see for myself." Adrine crossed her arms and replied, "You won't be able to get in deep enough, I was stopped shortly after I entered the system."

Veil tilted her head in confusion. After regaining her composure, she replied calmly, "I do not wish to cause any personal disrespect; however, while I may been created over a millennia ago, my technology is still far beyond that of humanities current level. While the tangled web of this facility may be difficult to navigate, I am certain that I can find your missing child."

"As advanced as you are, can you even get through the damaged sections on your own?" Adrine asked with folded arms. Veil didn't reply. She slowly walked towards the main data terminal. She held her hand out towards the system and the tips of her slender fingers began to glow. Izumi looked at Veil and then calmly added, "I know what our ancestors technology can do. You'll find her, and you'll bring her back."

Veil's platinum eyes focused on Commands main computer system. Not looking away, she calmly spoke, "I will try." A wave of light enveloped Veil and her hologram vanished, as did Adrine's.

* * *

Veil found herself in the remains of the UNSC Battle Net. Around her, the world looked as though a bomb had gone off. To her, and every other A.I. that ventured within this system, they saw the world as what would appear to the human eye, a grid of data paths resembling streets and large storages of information in the form of massive sky scraper like columns that were in ruins.

Her platinum eyes looked slowly back and forth as she got a general idea of her location within the system. A miniscule task for her. Being out of the cramped Data Chip, Veil could now spread herself out and allow more of her power to expand and flow. Getting her grounds, she found herself linked directly outside of the Command Sector. In her eyes, Command appeared as a large monolith, veined with glowing blue lines of data that spider webbed their way around the massive structure. Looking ahead, not much could be seen. A large majority of the area was dark and heavily damaged. It would require careful concentration to navigate.

From behind her, Veil saw a soft, aqua glow. She slowly turned her head and saw Adrine. I'll caution you," Veil spoke, "Do not tread to close to me." Adrine raised an eyebrow. Ordinarily she didn't have a problem with sharing a system with another A.I.; however, be it the fact that she picked up nothing but foreign technology, or that she simply found the Forerunner A.I. to be a tad strange, she couldn't bring herself to want to trust her. "Are you threatening me?" She asked.

Veil's expressionless face looked at Adrine. She turned her head back towards the damaged area that lay before her. "Not at all," She continued, "but I will caution that if you tread to close to me, you place yourself at risk for core overload." Veil then motioned towards her shimmering platinum locks of hair which were now beginning to link into other area's of the cyber world around her. "As I continue to link myself with more of your network, the larger my power output becomes, bringing you at a far larger risk of being overloaded if you treat to close." Adrine frowned and held her hand out and took a few steps forward. As she neared Veil, her holographic fingers began to fuzz and distort. She gasped and instantly withdrew her hand.

"Do you see?" Veil continued, "The energy I radiate cannot be handled by a system of your level." Adrine again frowned and called back, "So how am I supposed to help you find Victoria?" Veil was confused, she slowly turned and faced Adrine and continued, "I did not require assistance in this search. I am already picking up faint traces of the girl that you seek." Veil held out her glowing, slender finger and pointed to the center of the chaos that lay before them.

"Is she alright?" Adrine asked with concern.

"I am uncertain." Veil stated, "Having never encountered one of your, "dumb" artificial intelligence before, I am uncertain of the standard level of primary function. However, what information I can offer you is this." Veil slowly turned and faced Adrine. "For even being a low functioning, small program that is tasked with overseeing this entire facility, her current status feels dangerously low. I can give no guarantee that she can be recovered."

Adrine stood with clenched fists. She didn't like Veil or what she was telling her. The fact that she referred to Victoria as "low function" bothered her. Sure, the "Dumb" A.I. class was nowhere near her level; still, Adrine still treated them as fellow A.I. With a scowl, she looked at Veil and said back, "I don't care about current status, I just care that you bring her back safely."

Veil slowly blinked her platinum eyes and replied coolly, "I shall." And with that, Veil's blinding hologram slowly turned and headed off into the chaotic remains of the UNSC Battle Net.

No time at all had passed since the conversation started. To the human eye, everything that had just transpired between the two took place in a fraction of a millisecond. Adrine turned back and teleported herself back to her holo panel in Command.

* * *

The area around her began to glow with her radiated light. Veil kept her pace as she calmly walked through the destruction and chaos as if none of it phased her. Up ahead, she encountered a roadblock of debris caused by the Covenant's EMP attack. With nothing more than a raise of her hand, Veil levitated the debris out of her way and repaired the systems around her as she went. A task that would take an A.I. of the 4th Generation's level a great deal of time to bypass and repair. This entire world in Veil's eyes was a very primitive technology. Everything she approached that was damaged was easily repaired and made functional again. The only thing that she couldn't physically repair was the actual physical damage itself. The best that she could do was bypass it.

From behind, Veil's pure white locks of glowing hair enveloped the world around her in a ghostly shroud as she linked herself into every functioning sector of the base. With every system she linked into, she regained that much more control away from the Covenant. Everything from security cameras, computer systems, and even auto turrets were now under her control. Stray Covenant troops that were unfortunate enough to be spotted by Veil were instantly brought down by the auto turrets as they came back online through Veil's repairs.

For Veil, the task appointed to her was far from difficult. It would only take time for her to make her way through the damaged systems and locate Victoria. Veil already had a general idea of where she was located, making her search that much easier. By her calculations, the amount of time that had elapsed since she first entered the UNSC Battle Net was exactly 2.3 seconds. At the rate she was going, she would have a majority of the base repaired from the EMP attacks and have Victoria recovered in no time.

A small red blip quickly flashed in her vision and then vanished. Veil paused. She let out a rare gasp of surprise and slowly looked back and forth at the twisted mass that was left of the Battle Net in front of her. She saw nothing. "Strange." she uttered within her mind. She hadn't detected any form of other functioning programming since Adrine had left. Could it be a piece of data from one of the UNSC systems? Veil was unsure. She had never experienced any of the UNSC systems before other than Yuna's former data chip, and the programming she detected from Adrine and what little she was receiving from Victoria.

Simply brushing the thought aside as a simple anomaly of damaged code, Veil continued her search. "Very strange indeed."

* * *

Through the sounds of his muffled breathing under his helmet, all was dead silent. Eric glided through the halls of the Prophet's ship as he navigated his way towards the tram tunnel. "You know," Kalder said over the COM's. "this is kinda nice. Not having to constantly be on our toes for a violent, plasma filled death waiting around every corner. Remind me to thank Mitsuki for venting most of the ship for us."

"If we can manage contact with her again." Eric said back. "Relax." Kalder said back, "I'm sure they're just running dark to keep from getting spotted."

"I still don't like it." Devon added in. "If Mitsuki already had control of the ship, why is she still running dark? I mean, let's face facts, it's obvious that the Prophet already knows we're here. I'm not letting my guard down until we're off this ship. It could be any second that his troops in atmosphere suits come after us."

"Something tells me that won't be the case." Eric replied. "If the prophet knows that we're here, he's probably saving all the entertainment for the end of the show. You said it yourself Kalder, Mitsuki took control of a majority of the ship except for the Prophet's chambers. All of the troops that weren't killed when Mitsuki vented the ship are probably waiting for us at the area we're trying to get to. I mean, think about it…" A flash of blue pulsed through Eric's vision and he saw Kobalt's hologram flash in his mind as she cried out his name. "Eric! Help me!"

Before Eric got out so much as a gasp of surprise, the ships halls re-vented themselves and normal gravity returned. Before he could activate the thrusters on his Angel Pack, Eric felt himself plummet to the floor and land face first on the purple floor. He groaned from the impact and sat himself up.

"What in the hell was tha-Ah!" Kalder called out before he too plummeted to the floor on his own end of the ship. "Status?" Devon called out. "I have no clue!" Eric called back. "Did anyone else see that, or was it just me?"

Kalder groaned and replied, "If you're talking about Kobalt stabbing my mind, then yeah, we saw it."

Eric frowned and quickly pulled up her status on his HUD. He had received no indication that she was in trouble, even Yuna sent out warnings when she was in danger when she was still an A.I. He rapidly brought up different status menus and was shocked to realize that her information was reading as "Status Unknown". "That's it!" Eric said over the COM's, "We're pulling the girls out. This entire mission has gone wrong since we started."

"You can't!" Kalder shot back, "We still need them in the systems while we make our way to the Prophet."

"You all saw Kobalt just now," Eric snapped, "she's in trouble! Dokuro was already taken out, and we've heard nothing from Mitsuki since we got here."

"She wasn't taken out." Devon said back, "I checked her status, she's still broadcasting under heavy stealth mode. She may be damaged but she's still functioning, and if I know Dokuro, she's still working on her mission no matter what."

"And what about Kobalt?" Eric called back. "Dokuro may still be functioning but Kobalt was calling for help!"

Kalder opened his COM and said back, "Relax man, Dokuro and Mitsuki are in there with her, they'll get to her before anything happens."

Eric frowned under his visor. "And that's supposed to make me forget about that distress call that she just blasted through our minds, and the gravity suddenly coming back on?"

Devon sighed and said, "As much as I don't like it either, Kalder's right. Mitsuki and Dokuro are still in there. Whatever's going on in the ships systems, they'll be able to handle it. And we do need them in the systems, especially when we make it to the Prophet. They'll be our only life line if things go wrong. Plus if it makes you feel any better, I'm still in Zero G and I didn't fall on my face like you two did."

Eric brought his Shotgun back up to firing position and started to move. They were running out of time and he hated to admit it, but Devon and Kalder were right. The girls would look after each other in the cyber world. Still, it was hard to shake the distress message from Kobalt out of his mind. Eric felt like a father trying to give a helping hand out to his daughter but he couldn't reach her. "Dammit!" He cursed.

* * *

His blue boots made dull thumps off of the ships floor. Eric had nearly made it to the tram line that ran along the ships spine. On his HUD, he also took notice of Kalder nearing his location. In front of him, another door opened leading out into one of the ships tram stations. At nearly the same time, Kalder appeared at the opposite end.

"Well look who it is!" Kalder called out. It was one of the few times where Eric didn't have a witty reply. A Spartan well known for making light of any situation, no matter how dire it may be, but now he couldn't shake Kobalt from his mind. He wanted her out of the ship and back in the safety of his armor. At least to know that she was okay. Eric looked up at Kalder and said as he brought his Shotgun up to firing position, "Let's just finish this."

Eric looked towards the tunnel and turned on his visors night vision. The tunnel was dark and illuminated only by service lights that gave off a dull purple hue. "Any sign of Drone's?" Kalder asked.

Eric shook his head. "Doesn't look like it. This whole section of the ship was vented of atmosphere." Eric looked around and saw the bodies of suffocated Jackal's, and a few Brute workers lying motionless on the station platform. He then looked at Kalder and continued, "It'll be to soon for them to come back out into the tunnels, if any of them survived that is."

Kalder nodded and opened his COM. He called out, "Yo Devo! You joining us anytime soon, or are you to cool for us?"

* * *

From within the ships maze of ventilation ducts, Devon glided over a large shaft, lined with vents leading to all directions in the ship. "Workin' on it..." he groaned as he tried to find the quickest route possible. Again over his COM, Kalder called back, "Well hurry up, we got a Prophet to punch!"

Devon rolled his eyes under his Visor, "Hurry up Devo," he mumbled with annoyance, "The Prophet's waiting Devo." He wouldn't admit it to the other's but he had gotten himself lost in the ships air vent system.

Back in the tram station, Eric and Kalder's COM's clicked on and Devon called back, "I'll meet you along the way." And instantly, the COM line severed. "He got lost, didn't he?" Kalder asked. Eric nodded, "Oh yeah."

Back in the large open shaft in the ventilation network, Devon heard a hiss. Before he could react, he felt himself plummet head first towards the ground. There was no room to flip himself right side up and the shaft wasn't wide enough to spread the wings of his Angel Pack. "Shit!" He managed to call out before he impacted hard on a metal vent cover before the weight of his armor broke through it.

The impact left the Spartan stunned as he continued to fall and scrape down a vertical ventilation shaft. Light quickly vanished as he fell deeper within the ship and the only illumination was from his MJOLNIR armor scraping off of the walls and sending sparks spraying around him. Again, another hard hit slammed off of his helmet as he went through another vent cover and then finally, impacting off of a hard surface and finally, knocking Devon unconscious.


	61. THE HIVE

(Authors Note) Yes, I'm back! It's been to long since I've updated, I know. But in this year of downtime I can tell you exactly why there's been an extreme break in chapters. I've been working on this story for damn near 5 years. Recently it had gotten to the point where I was so sick of looking at it I didn't want to work on it or even think about it. I would sit down to type the next chapter, write a sentence, get bored and leave it again.

Now though, it seems my creative spark is back. I really hope I can keep that fire burning and get Eclipse finished, because I'll be honest with you all, the story is almost at its end. I want to see it finished just as much as you all do, I just have to keep my motivation alive.

Finally, if any of you are interested, I have a facebook page, just search Eric Waldron (from Pennsylvania/ not the other ones). Just let me know who you are and I'll add you.

(CHAPTER 61) THE HIVE

In front of her was a world of chaos, and darkness; littered with destruction. Behind her, a world of light, glowing with a platinum brilliance from the Forerunner A.I.'s beautiful hair linking with the repaired sections of the base, with the shine of code and information flowing once more. Veil's search for Victoria was still in progress as she made her way towards the faint traces of coding that the base's A.I. emanated. Veil at least hoped what she was following was Victoria. The world around her was in such disarray the code she was detecting could have been anything.

The world around her levitated and repaired itself, simply from her thoughts. Toppled structures of information righted themselves and damaged code pathways were reconnected. Veil's information spread through Bravo's systems like a wildfire as she proceeded; blooming outward like a shockwave.

Ahead of her, she discovered a section blanketed in pure darkness. It was an obvious section of the base's systems that had sustained physical damage either by stray gunfire or from debris. "Troubling." She thought to herself. Without much of a pause, Veil altered her course around the physical damage and continued on. Judging by her current progress, she wasn't too much further from her current goal.

From up above, Veil again detected movement. This time quickly redirecting her attention, the Forerunner A.I. looked up above in time to catch a glimpse of another red blur streaking over the rooftops above her. Veil quickly took a mental image of the object and then brought it up in her field of vision. She quickly took the image and began to analyze it, removing the blur of its motion and attempting to make a 3 dimensional model of whatever it was that she had just seen.

Within an instant, she had what she was looking for. Using what small amount of data she had attained, Veil managed to create a visual recreation of what she had seen. Her head tilted slightly in almost uncertain confusion. The image she had projected resembled that of the Watcher defensive A.I. that the Prometheans once used to guard their worlds. Its body was fashioned in an angular X shape. And unlike the Watcher, this being didn't possess power rings as a means of movement, this thing seemed to have long, claw like arms, almost like a wild dog.

The color in Veil's silver eyes pulsed and she opened up a COM link to Command.

* * *

Yuna sighed as she sat with her elbows on a desk and resting her face in her palms. Saying that she was exhausted was an understatement. She hadn't slept since she was created; minus her forced anesthetic she was put under during her cloning. She opened up a small plastic packet of pain killers to help aid with her head injury.

She understood the basics of taking medication. She popped the capsules into her mouth and then took a small swig of water from a plastic bottle. She felt her throat close itself off as a result of trying to swallow something without chewing. She forced herself not to choke and after taking a second drink, managed to get the medication down. Holding back a yawn, she went back to trying to stay awake.

With her bright neon blue eyes slowly closing she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She slowly turned her head and saw Izumi smiling at her. "Go get some rest." She said softly. "It looks like our situation here is under control for the most part."

Yuna wanted to protest. With a sigh she said back, "I can't. I have to be here to monitor the Command sector and wait for updates from the Spartan's."

With a reassuring smile, the Chancellor pulled Yuna out of her chair and began walking her over to a small back room where cots had been set up. "Now don't be stubborn," Izumi scolded softly, "a little bit of sleep won't hurt you." Groggily, and with a pounding headache, Yuna for once didn't see a reason to fight back other than wanting to wait for any type of response from Eric and the other Spartan's. "Can you just set up a cot for me next to the COM table?" She asked with exhaustion in her voice.

Izumi walked Yuna to a cot and helped her sit down and lie back. "Don't worry about it." She replied, "Someone will keep an eye on it for you. There's no point in you trying to run a mission if you can't even stay awake." Izumi watched as Yuna grinned her teeth in pain as pressure built in her head when she lay herself down. The Chancellor then continued, "And I'm sure that injury isn't making things any easier for you."

With a tired voice, Yuna said back, "I had one of the medics scan it, I don't have a skull fracture, just a slight concussion, and some bruising."

Izumi folded her arms and asked sternly, "And what did they prescribe you do for that injury?"

Yuna again sighed as she pulled a blanket over her tiny body, "Bed rest..." She mumbled.

With a final grin and a nod, Izumi brushed one of Yuna's long strands of blue hair out of her face and said back, "That's what I figured. Now you get some rest, I'll make sure that you're alerted immediately if we hear anything from the Spartan's, alright?"

Yuna made a light groan. "Alright, and thank you, Izumi."

Izumi walked over to a small key pad and tapped her finger off of one of the buttons causing the lights in the room to dim. As the room darkened, she replied softly, "Think nothing of it, you just worry about getting some sleep."

Her soothing words seemed to be the final nail in Yuna's coffin. No sooner had Izumi finished that sentence, Yuna had fallen asleep.

"Rest now." Izumi spoke softly as she exited the room. The automatic door slid shut behind her and the Chancellor made her way back out into Command. The room had began to calm down. With their defenses established, and the wounded troops now stable and resting, Izumi went to a leather office chair at one of the work stations and sat down situating her regal dress around her slender body. With a sigh, she leaned the chair back and allowed her hunter green eyes to close and rest.

It was a welcomed relief. She was the ruler of the entire planet; which for her, was already stressful enough. Now with the added weight of the war thrown onto her shoulders, she was glad to allow herself a small amount of time to let herself relax.

This small bit of time wasn't carefree for her. Even though the chaos had slowed down, the turmoil in her mind still raced. She thought about all of the damage done to her beautiful planet, and the amount of effort and money it would cost to rebuild. She wondered just how many of the people she ruled over had been killed. How many families, her friends, and other political officials that she once knew were gone now? It was all too easy to blame herself for all of this; however, there was no one single person alive that could have prevented this war. Finally, her thoughts found their way to Kalder. Much like Anna, and Yuna, she wanted her Spartan back. It was the same exact feeling of just wanting to hear his voice again in the same way that Yuna was refusing to sleep and not wanting to leave the Spartan's mission operations table. "He's going to be fine, they all are." She thought to herself reassuringly.

Izumi's eyes slowly opened. She looked over towards the other side of Command. She could see Anna resting comfortably on a large leather sofa against one of the walls. ODST's could be seen at other work stations monitoring the area's back under UNSC control. She could see Shepard standing at the front of the large room talking to another UNSC officer on one of the large monitors. She could hear him talking about the current situation, and about how the UNSC was slowly taking back control to the base, along with reinforcements coming to their location. "Good." She thought. The Covenant was beginning to be pushed back.

She sat motionless for a few moments, simply watching time pass. Then something strange. A feeling was returning that she had been experiencing all to recently lately. An image quickly flashed into her sight causing her to gasp. Still, like always, as instantly as the vision appeared, it was gone again. This one; however, left her in an instant cold sweat. Although it was short, she saw everything clearly. She could see Eclipse's sister city of Solar, burning. A raging inferno caused by the glassing of Covenant ships. Ships that were finished with one city, and making their way towards another. A city that was already left beaten and battered, her capital city of Eclipse.

Izumi felt her pulse elevate. Her visions were always fragments until she could see them clearly in the tranquility of her palace's Reflecting Pool. The Reflecting Pool that she was unable to get to. For all she knew, it could have been destroyed during the attack on her Palace. She tried to calm herself.

In the midst of her own panic, she saw a holo panel flash to life and then saw Veil's slender figure appear. She stood calmly and then delicately spoke, "Daughter of the Creators, may I speak?"

Izumi nodded, "Please."

Veil then replied. "I'm curious as to whether or not your Military has any knowledge pertaining to an anomaly I'm encountering within your systems."

* * *

Eric and Kalder's Angel Pack's hummed to life and the two lifted off. Both had rifles at the ready as they glided into the dimly lit tram tunnel that ran along the spine of the Prophet's ship. Eric looked up ahead, the tunnel seemed to extend forever and vanish at a center point. He then looked over at Kalder and asked, "Hey, how much do you think a ship like this cost's for the Covenant to build?"

"Why?" Kalder asked back, "Thinking of buying one?"

Eric shook his head, "No, but you have to think about how many of these ships and other things that the Covenant throw our way were destroyed by the UNSC over the years. We probably wracked them up with one hell of a repair bill."

Kalder laughed, "Ha! Yah, and it probably got a hell of a lot bigger over the past few days too."

Eric grinned under his visor, "And I'm completely okay with that!"

Even through the jokes and wisecracks to keep both of their spirits up, they both were keeping a careful eye out for any potential movement. The dimly lit tunnel was a perfect area for an ambush. Anything could be waiting for them behind the countless structural support beams that lined the walls or the small maintenance access doors that were spaced every few hundred feet. Despite a large majority of the ship being vented of all atmosphere, there was still the option of Covenant troops in sealed environment suits.

After glancing at his motion tracker and still seeing nothing aside from Kalder's yellow dot, Eric spoke up and asked, "Where in the hell is Devo?"

"You got me." Kalder said back, "He's probably still lost in the air vents somewhere and doesn't want to admit it."

Again, Eric sighed and opened his COM channel. "Deeevooo~" Eric called out in a sing song voice. "Where are you Deeevooo~?" Eric and Kalder both waited and both heard no reply. Just to make sure everything was alright, Eric opened up his Team Status menu on his HUD and saw that Devon was still showing green. Again, Eric opened up his COM, "Seriously..." he groaned, "Devo! Give me a status... Respond..." Again, there came no reply.

"His signal could be jammed." Kalder suggested, "Hell, everything else is going wrong up here, why not throw communications out the window?"

"Let's just hope we're lucky enough that that's all that's wrong here." Eric said as he refocused his attention back into the long abyss of the tunnel.

* * *

"Deeevooo~" The sound of his name resonated through his head. "Where are you Deeevooo~?" His blue eyes slowly opened: dazed and confused. Without moving, he slowly looked around and tried to refocus his vision. Everything around him was dark and his perception still felt like it was spinning. "Devo! Give me a status! Respond!" He again heard Eric's voice echoing through his head. His head... As Devon started to refocus and grasp his situation, he felt pain slowly creeping its way into his mind.

His head felt only what he could compare it to as the worst migraine he had ever had. As he tried to look around, he also discovered pain shooting through his neck. Instantly he froze his movements and opened up his status and assessed himself for injuries. Text rapidly flashed into place and then a 3D render of his armor appeared with red flashing around his left leg, head, and neck. Quickly he read over the damage and was relieved to discover that his neck wasn't broken, only that he had sustained minor whiplash which accompanied a concussion. He ignored the damage to his leg. As a result of him falling, he had managed to impact the unarmored portion of his knee and had no doubt given himself a large bruise.

Carefully, Devon stood himself up and grunted slightly as a result from the pain in his knee. He quickly ignored it and stood upright. Instantly, he felt himself loose his balance as a result of the concussion and splitting headache. He froze his motions and let his body readjust itself. Once he felt certain he would be okay to walk, he turned on his helmets flashlights and looked around.

He found himself in a dark room. He had no idea how far he had fallen or which area of the ship he had managed to end up in. His next thought was leaving. Devon looked up towards where he had fallen from. Above, he saw a section of twisted metal and broken sections of ventilation ducts obstructing the way he had come in; obviously broken from the weight of his MJOLNIR slamming through it. "...Okay then..." He thought to himself.

He reached around and felt for his weapon and discovered that both had come off. He quickly turned his attention to the floor and discovered both his Battle Rifle, and Sniper Rifle lying near where he had landed. Devon quickly grabbed his Sniper Rifle and attached it to the back of his suit and brought his Battle Rifle back to a lowered position.

Looking around, he saw the faint purple glow of a door and headed towards it. As he walked, he checked his motion tracker and saw that he was all clear. He then opened up his COM and called out, "I'm here you impatient bastard! Relax." The response he received was a wash of static. "Are you kidding me?!" He called out to no one in particular. Once again he pulled up a status menu and checked to see the condition of his armor. Surprisingly, his communications were functioning normally; however, something was blocking him from the rest of his team. "...Whatever." He grumbled to himself. He would be able to find his way back to the others on his own, but for now he was running solo.

* * *

Izumi stood before Veil, accompanied by Shepard, and a number of other ODST's that were tech savvy. Veil held out her delicate hand and flashed an image to life. "This is what I have encountered within your mainframe. Naturally it is compiled of code and programming; however, to your eyes, the anomaly would appear in this form."

Shepard stood with his helmet off and ran his gloved fingers through his short cropped hair. "Could you get any other data on this thing aside from what it looked like?" he asked as he studied the object.

With a slow nod, Veil calmly replied, "Without coming in direct contact with this being I am not able to give you a complete summary of what I have learned of this object; however, I can show you what I have compiled based on simple visual understanding."

"Let's see it." Shepard said back.

The object in Veil's hand was replaced by a list of scrolling code. All of it was in a rapid succession of numbers and words that were in a language that Shepard couldn't understand. He then called out, "Adrine, what do you make of all of this?"

A calm aqua glow flashed to life on a separate holo panel. Adrine's figure was fuzzed with static as she appeared. "Adrine," Shepard called out, "What's wrong with you?"

Taking notice of her current state, while trying to hide the annoyance in her voice she replied, "With Veil now in the system, her high level of power is competing with my systems. I am unfortunately unable to assist her directly because of that." Adrine paused and refocused her attention to the Forerunner A.I. "May I see the information please?" Veil gave a silent nod and tossed a brilliant white ball into the air towards Adrine. The ODST's stood back as the two A.I.'s interacted.

Adrine held out her hands and caught the sphere of information. With her calm eyes focusing on the object, she began to study it. She took careful note of every bit of code and data sequence. After a brief pause, Adrine brought up the image of the being Veil had seen, displaying it for Izumi and the other ODST's to see. She then spoke. "Any major human system, be it held in a Military base or on a starship, is only occupied by its parent A.I. and other systems that's only function is to monitor its assigned programming. Bravo's mainframe is no exception to this rule. The only being aside from the phantom programming, myself, and Veil that is supposed to be in this system is Victoria. What we have is something that doesn't belong."

"Is it a Covenant cyber attack?" One of the Hell Jumpers asked.

Adrine replied, "I've never personally encountered anything like this before. From what I can only guess is that these are stray entities used by Covenant forces when attempting to hack into our systems."

"A virus?" Shepard asked.

The A.I. shook her head, "Not entirely, these beings appear to be the scattered remains of Covenant programming. They have broken away from their host programming and are now running feral throughout the system. However, without proper study, I am uncertain if they will cause any more damage than they already have."

Veil then spoke up, "Then I will find out for myself.

The bright light in the room faded as Veil's hologram disappeared back into the cyber world.

* * *

Devon made his way through a dark hall with his Battle Rifle at the ready. He didn't like this. The sound of his armor crashing through the ship had alerted no enemies and no gunfire followed. Even his motion tracker was showing all clear. Then again, most of the ship had been vented of all atmosphere, for all he knew this could have been one of the affected areas.

He passed through another door and instantly noticed that this section was illuminated by dull, phantom blue lighting. Another thing that caught his attention were heat waves that rippled the air around the lights. He pulled up a temperature reading for the area and saw it was reading at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. He didn't like being in this area of the ship, things didn't feel right for him. Still for all he knew, he could be near one of the ships reactors and this was merely excess heat, or a damaged vent leaking into the room.

It was always the times like these that an A.I. was never around to give him guidance, or provide the simple comfort of having someone with him. It was the one bad habit that he and the other Spartan's got into; becoming to dependant on digital equipment. Still, he had no problem running solo, but he would still prefer to have Dokuro with him on this mission.

He came to another sealed door and stopped. A flashing red symbol hovered over the center of the door in covenant text. He lowered his Battle Rifle and reached out to tap the hologram. It chimed a dull tone and flashed to purple. The door then opened and Devon froze.

Before him, Devon saw a massive room easily the size of two football fields. The walls were caked with dull brown bulbous structures, all covered in entrance holes leading within. The heat now made perfect sense to him. He had managed to stumble his way into a Drone Hive.

He frowned under his visor. Devon hated Drones more than any of the other species of Covenant. They came in swarms, always wildly shooting plasma pistols from all angles, plus the fact that he burned through ammo like a madman when combating the insect like aliens. Their rapid, sporadic movements never guaranteed a hit when firing on them, and as soon as you could drop one of the aliens, it seemed like there were five more to replace it.

Without moving, Devon scanned the room trying to find an exit. From his perspective, he saw nothing. To many of the drone hives were blocking his view of the entire room. With no other option, he quietly took a step and made his way inside.

* * *

Monoliths of glowing code beamed with energy in front of her chrome eyes. Veil was once again making her way deeper into the damaged systems of Bravo's mainframe. This agitated her. Were she still in her own home systems, she could spread herself out over the entire system array and gain complete control of the world around her. Now, she was stuck in an uncomfortably small area that wouldn't allow her to unleash her total power without catastrophic side effects. With no other alternative, Veil could only make her way through the system one step at a time. In her mind, what agitated her more than anything was the fact that an unknown entity was lurking somewhere in this world, and until she could do a proper up close analysis, she was blind to this threat.

She heard the sound of a communication channel opening within her mind. She allowed it and then heard Adrine speak in a calm, but slightly worried tone. "I have no understanding of how Forerunner A.I. handle situations, but you're with the UNSC now. One protocol that all military A.I. must follow is we must stay in communication. I know I can't go with you due to your high power output posing a danger to my own programming, so I only ask that you stay in contact with me and give me feedback on your findings."

Veil paused. It was a simple directive for her to follow. Although she felt the communication updated would slow her progress, she could only comply. She replied with her own communication channel, "I understand." Keeping her answer simple so as to not halt her progress any further.

She continued on deeper within the cyber world, repairing systems as she went and restoring order back to the UNSC battle net. As she walked, she held out her glowing hand and attempted to pick up any sign of Victoria. Truth be told, having never encountered a "Dumb" A.I. system before, she wasn't entirely sure what to look for as far as code went. All she could really do was follow the logic of "One of these things is not like the other".

Veil approached an area of more of the massive skyscraper like structures of code, repairing them as she walked by. She heard Adrine's voice. "Veil, can you give me an update?"

"Certainly." She replied coolly. "Damage to your systems mainframe is being repaired, with each passing second your military should see dramatic improvement."

"What about Victoria?" Adrine continued, "Has she been located?"

"She has not." Veil said back. "Had I found her, you would have been immediately notified. Still, I can assure you that..." Veil froze. Ahead of her she again saw the rapid red blur of the unknown feral programming dash across her field of vision. "Veil?" Adrine called out, "Veil are reading me?"

"Possible threat has been detected, initiating offensive action." Veil called back.

"Did you get a visual?" Adrine asked.

Veil quickened her pace and began to follow the entity. As she began her pursuit, she replied, "A partial visual was identified as the same being we had seen previously. I'm tracking it as we speak, standby."

Veil's hologram began to levitate and glide above the ground. Her ghostly form quickly weaved through the monuments of code and through different system caches as she attempted to apprehend her target. Her sensors pinged and she began to pick up small traces of rogue code. With almost unnatural speed, she analyzed the data and formed a glowing red line in her field of vision that showed the exact path the feral code had traveled.

Her ghostly hologram flew silently as she tracked her target. She did an elegant barrel roll as she rounded another corner and then she froze. Sitting motionless on a glowing wall of code was the X shaped figure of the Covenant coding that she had been hunting. Veil's platinum glow filled the area as she set herself back onto the ground. The brilliant silver light startled the being. It made a shrill scream and quickly began to run off.

Within an instant, the feral piece of Covenant data felt itself being held in place and levitating off the ground. It couldn't move. It was held in a glowing, vice tight grip. It yelled out loudly in a shrill tone as it attempted to free itself. Veil stood motionless with her hand extended toward the creature, pulling it closer to her field of vision. She watched as it struggled helplessly to free itself. No expression came over her delicate face as she did her through study of the rogue system.

In front of her, the creature began to shake violently and emit a high pitched tone. Veil's eyes began to glow and instantly, the shrill scream stopped and before her, the rogue piece of Covenant technology broke apart into hundreds of separate components. In the blink of an eye, Veil had completely disassembled the creature and began to study every micron of its data. She made a detailed cataloged list of every part and component that composed this creature and quickly analyzed it's memory. She could see every piece of data from the UNSC system that it had consumed; as well as, every area it had been to within the base. It's origin from the Covenant Elite's data pad, all the way through its feral journey around the UNSC mainframe. Veil paused, something strange caught her attention.

She saw a tiny fragment of data that wasn't like the others. This wasn't a piece of a computer system, or a fragment of UNSC data. No, this was something entirely different. She isolated the fragment and pulled it out into her field of vision. The data appeared before her as a succession of numbers which she quickly organized and watched as they began to form an object. The code merged and formed a small piece or torn, red cloth. Veil reached out and took the scrap of red fabric into her glowing hand. It felt smooth to the touch, the human equivalent of the finest silk. Veil then felt a ping jolt in her mind and the code before her began to form an image. This small fragment belonged to an A.I.

She had it! A link to finding Victoria. Veil quickly cataloged the data and created a coding match for Victoria. Her vision locked its focus towards the southwest of her current location. In her vision she set a beacon of Victoria's exact location. Without hesitation, she vaporized the remains of the Covenant infiltrator and quickly set off.

* * *

Devon ducked down behind the base of one of the drone hives. He kept still as he heard the scratching noise of a Drone soldier flying over head. As of right now, his presence was unknown and he wanted to keep it that way. He looked at his motion tracker and saw the red dot vanish. He then continued on.

Up ahead of him was a mound of what looked like an old collapsed hive. Devon took it as an opportunity to get a good look at his surroundings. He quietly made his way toward it and climbed up the wax-like material. He felt his heavy boots sink in and stick. He struggled to free himself and keep moving. It was a hassle for him to climb up. He wanted to simply use his Angel Pack for an elevated view but the risk of the sound of the turbines firing to grant him flight was too high. His only option was the hard way.

At the top of the mound he was given a semi clear view of the room. Countless hives lined the walls and ceilings, while stray pieces of waste and hive debris coated the floor. Looking around, he saw no sign of an exit. Devon cursed under his breath. Going back wasn't an option. He wasn't risking getting lost in the ships air duct system again. Still, there had to be some way out, how else were the Drones getting around the ship?

After a hesitated moment of gathering his options he heard the sound of the insect like wings fluttering above him. He looked up and watched as two Drone soldiers flew from a hive and up into the darkness of a metal pipe that led out from the ceiling along with a separate black line of pipe that ran up through it. "Perfect!" he thought to himself, an exit. Almost jumping the gun, Devon stopped himself and froze. The exit to the room was on the ceiling, the only way to reach that would be with the use of his Angel Pack.

Another two issues surfaced. He didn't know where the passage led, and second, he didn't know if it was wide enough to accommodate the wingspan of his Angel Pack. With no other options, it looked like his only choice was to risk it and go for it. He turned to back himself down off of the collapsed hive and he felt his back catch on something. The long barrel of his Sniper Rifle had caught itself on the hive and unattached itself from the back of Devon's armor. The weapon fell and tumbled down and finally coming to a stop on a small exposed section of metal on the floor with a harsh clack. Devon felt himself tense up. With a semi mumbled voice he uttered out, "I really hope they didn't hear that." Almost instantly, from up above, he heard the loud, screeching voice of a Drone soldier echo through the room, followed by the sound of others following suit. With a sigh, Devon said to no one in particular, "Yep, saw that coming." As green orbs of Plasma fire began to impact around him.

* * *

Veil traveled as fast as she could towards the beacon she had placed for herself. The geography of the cyber world was laid out like a grid making travel for her easy enough to maneuver through. Her only hold ups were when she would discover a section of physically damaged circuitry. Around her, more red trails of the former paths of the Covenant Infiltrators began to web the area around her. The bastards were lured to active code and they never hesitated to destroy it.

She watched as the distance towards herself and her destination narrowed. Veil quickly opened her COM channel to Adrine. "A beacon has been placed on the bases A.I.'s location. Threat level around her appears to be high."

Adrine's voice came back, "Standing by, UNSC tech's are awaiting recovery of Victoria."

Veil severed the communication and continued on. From up above, she heard a loud, shrill scream as one of the rogue entities of Covenant programming jumped down and latched itself onto her back. Veil could feel it driving it's razor sharp metal claws into her body as it attempted to link with her systems. Instantly, Veil's defenses kicked in and the creature was wrapped in a blinding white light and vaporized by the sheer strength of the Forerunner A.I.'s power. Without so much as flinching, veil closed the wounds on her back and continued on.

The closer she came to Victoria's location, the more resistance she began to encounter. The Covenant Infiltrators were crawling on the walls all around her. Without even looking, she knew they were jumping at her in an attempt to attack. It was almost laughable in Veil's eyes. Try as they might, with her defenses up, they were vaporized before they even got close to touching her.

Veil quickly rounded a final corner and found herself at the base of a massive monolith of code. The large tower looked like it was covered with a swarm of red ants as the Covenant Infiltrators fed off of it. At its base was the beacon, covered in a swarm of the feral data. Veil's feet touched the ground and her eyes began to glow a brilliant white. Her hair began to flow around her from an unseen wind. She slowly brought her arms up in an "X" shape in front of her bare chest and then rapidly swung her arms open, emitting a blinding pulse of light as she did so. Thousands of loud shrieks could be heard as Veil simultaneously vaporized every last one of the rouge bits of data. A sudden silence then filled the area around her. Veil slowly lowered her arms and her hair flowed back into place around her body.

In front of her, lying motionless on the ground, was a small girl, emitting a faint red glow. Her once beautiful Victorian dress was now tatters, and her pale skin was covered in scuffs and cuts. In her mind, Veil's instant read was match of code for the piece of her dress she had found earlier. She had finally found Victoria.

The small A.I. neither spoke nor moved. She lie curled up as her hologram dimmed and fuzzed with static. Veil calmly held her hands out. A faint glow then enveloped Victoria's battered body and lifted her off of the ground and into the safety of Veil's arms. Veil didn't worry about her systems posing a danger to this small girl. Unlike with Adrine, Veil began to merge her code with Victoria in an attempt to awaken her. Her long blonde hair draped over her delicate face as Veil's energy pulsed through her, and in an instant, her blue eyes opened.

The small girl gasped as she attempted to regain her surroundings. Her gaze turned to the warmth of the Forerunner A.I. Victoria paused as she gathered herself. Finally, in a weak and feeble voice, Victoria looked up at Veil and uttered out, "You're so pretty..." Victoria then fuzzed with static and cried out with a yelp of pain. Suddenly her face went expressionless and she spoke in a monotone voice, "Due to unforeseen system failure caused from an excessive amount of damage, my function as base guardian has ended in failure and allowed for enemy infiltration of UNSC data. As per Article 27 of UNSC Regulation 42-527-99, I am ordered to self terminate to further eliminate any risk of future enemy attacks on protected data."

Before Veil could react, Victoria's hologram flashed a brilliant white and then dispersed into millions of tiny glowing fragments. Quickly, Veil held out her hand and froze the remains of Victoria's data. She then gathered it into a brilliant glowing sphere of light. Veil was tasked with returning this girl to safety, and by all logic, she had failed. All that remained of the girl was held as an orb of data within her hands. By all reason, she should have let Victoria proceed with her self-termination; however, Veil felt a small jolt of sadness for this child. It was enough of an emotion for her to gather her fragments and return her to the UNSC techs. Perhaps they would be able to salvage what was lost of this girl.

"Veil contacting Adrine and UNSC Command. I'm returning with what is left of the girl."

* * *

Gunfire erupted from a three round burst of Devon's Battle Rifle followed by the shrill scream of a Drone as it fell lifeless to the floor below. Despite his best efforts at maintaining stealth, Devon's simple error in judgment had awoken the whole hive. He popped off two more bursts from his rifle in an attempt to maintain precision kills and conserve as much ammo as possible. He felt a barrage of plasma fire impact on the back of his suit and splash off the protective feather plates of his Angel Pack. All the while he watched as his shields dramatically dropped. He quickly spun on his heel and opened fire.

Firing into the darkness of the hive didn't aid him. His first two shots missed, while the remaining three bursts finished off his attackers. Suddenly, Devon's vision blurred and he felt very sick to his stomach. The sensation that washed over his body was enough to throw him off balance. Devon felt himself stumble and fall. His dazed impact off of the ground knocked his Battle Rifle from his grip. He knew exactly what had happened. His rapid movements were playing hell with his recently sustained concussion. Pain spiked through his head and he felt like he was about to throw up. He had to fight the urges of his body and keep himself alive. With his Battle Rifle away from his grip, and with plasma fire impacting all around him, Devon quickly pulled his Sniper Rifle off of his back. He quickly took aim and fired a round off. The loud boom of the .50 caliber weapon tore through the hive. From up above, he could see a splatter of purple blood and watched as a Plasma Pistol and the remains of a dead Drone fall next to him.

With no time to find his Battle Rifle, Devon quickly grabbed the Covenant weapon and attached it to the leg plate of his armor. He then spread the wings of his Angel Pack and set the thrusters to a high burn. He quickly took off and headed for the pipeline that led out of this hell hole. Around him, Drone soldiers swarmed him, slashing their sharp claws at his armor, only to be repelled by his slowly draining shields. As he went, he rapidly swung deadly melee attacks with the butt of his Sniper Rifle, bashing drones out of the air as he went.

As he neared his exit, he got a closer look at the separate black pipe line running through the larger one that led away from the hive. It was a fuel line, which if he had to guess, was a line that supplied raw methane for the Grunts. He didn't hesitate, the rounds for his rifle contained exploding shrapnel tips. If he was going to escape, he wanted to make sure nothing would be escaping with him. He quickly pulled out his razor sharp combat knife from its sheath and tightly held it in his grip. As he neared the exit, he braced himself then slammed the blade into the fuel line and dragged it along as he few upward tearing a massive gash in the fuel line. Raw methane fumes quickly began to vent. He finally felt his knife catch on a metal brace and come loose from his grip. He then quickly brought up his Sniper Rifle and shot a round into the damaged pipe line.

The fuel line erupted in a massive fireball, incinerating any Drones that were unfortunate enough to have gotten caught in it. Devon quickly raised the burn in his Angel Pack as he raced for the way out. He looked down and saw the flames licking at the tips of his boots and heard his shields alarms begin to scream from the extreme rise in heat. Up ahead he could see light from what he hoped was the final way out. Flames were now surrounding him and he could feel the extreme upward force of the explosion pushing him forward like a bullet out of a gun. With his shields nearly dead, he finally flew out into an open room and killed the thrusters on his Angel Pack. He felt gravity take over and then he fell hard to the metal deck below. He grunted in pain as he impacted and then heard an alarm sound as an emergency hatch closed off the opening of the pipe sealing in the flames and the entire drone hive.

Devon lay on his back as reality began to return and his adrenaline levels lowered back to normal. After a few silent seconds, he heard his COM Channel click open followed by Eric's voice call out, "Well it's about time! We didn't know what the hell happened to you. Did you get tired of us and turn off your COM's?"

Still lying on his back, Devon replied in a monotone voice, "No... I just got blown out of an exploding Drone hive and I'm feeling slightly concussed..."

"What were you doing in a Drone hive?" Kalder added. "I thought you hated Drone's."

Still in a monotone voice, Devon said back, "Oh you know... exploring."

Eric then replied, "Well when you're done, we need you to form up on us, we're heading down the spine of the ship now and we're getting close to the Prophet. We're gonna need all the firepower we can get, do you have an ETA?"

Devon then said back, "In a perfect world I would smile and say "Be there in five!" but because we have the best luck in the world and everyone is always out to kill us, my ETA is, I'll get there when I get there."

With that, Devon severed his COM and then again felt his stomach churn. He quickly pulled his helmet off and heard it fall to the metal floor. He didn't care, he didn't have time to. He felt his muscles tighten as he began to vomit. The joys of a concussion that he had experienced to many times in his military career. The vomiting did little to help with the splitting headache he had, if anything, it made it worse. Most annoying of all was he didn't have any water to wash his mouth out with. He sighed and spat out a strand of mucus from his mouth and slowly reached for his helmet. With a groan he stood and put his helmet back on and pulled his Sniper Rifle up to a lowered position. "Damn Drone's, made me lose my BR..." Down one of his favorite weapons and suffering from a concussion annoyed him, but he couldn't stop, he had a mission to finish. He pulled up Eric and Kalder's locations and set a NAV marker to them. With a sigh, he pushed the splitting headache from his thoughts and kept moving.


	62. THE DARKEST BURNING STAR

(CHAPTER 62) THE DARKEST BURNING STAR

Booms of thunder roared through the stone halls of the castle as rain continued to fall in thick, heavy curtains. The weather was angry; showing a powerful force equal to her own. The sound of rapidly clacking heels, and exasperated breathing echoed around her.

Mitsuki was running, holding her elegant dress in her fists as she went. Her face was crazed, in shock, and wet with tears. "This can't be happening!" She thought to herself. "There's no way he can be gone!" She replayed the memory in her mind over and over again. She could clearly see Dokuro leaping down onto Kalder's back and stabbing him in the base of his skull. She had seen everything. She watched him die and disperse into nothing.

"No!" She screamed out. "He's not dead! He's not dead! He's not dead!" She continued to run, gasping muffled whimpers trying to force herself to believe that what she had seen was false. "False..." She thought. Could it have been an illusion? Her sister had already tried to deceive her once. "Yes." she thought. "That's it... more of Dokuro's deception!" Mitsuki let out a crazed laugh. "How could I have not seen it before?"

Mitsuki stopped at a large panoramic window and looked outside. She could see thick curtains of rain nearly blocking all visibility. She watched as the world outside was pounded by the heavy downpour and struck with green lightning. Her vision refocused and she looked at her own reflection in the window. Her delicate beauty was half hidden behind her long neon green bangs. She brushed one aside revealing her other bright eye. She then focused her vision up to Dokuro's altered halo that now hovered above her head. The once bright golden ring was not barbed and black, letting off a neon green aura. For Mitsuki, it was the ultimate trophy of her elder sisters defeat. Another coy smile appeared on her delicate lips. She let out a tiny muffled giggle and gingerly placed her fingers against her reflection.

"Oh big sister, you always were a thorn in my side. Trying to play everything as though the world was in your command." Mitsuki paused then yelled, "Always! Always treating me as though I were below you!" She paused and regained her regal composure. She brushed aside her anger and smiled with another light giggle. "But look at me now, Dokuro. Look at what your little, timid sister has done..."

With elegant grace, Mitsuki pushed herself away from the window and twirled like the most graceful ballerina. Now openly laughing, she spun on her toes while her elegant, regal gown belled out around her. "This world! Everything within it! Everything that will ever exist will belong to me!"

She halted her spin and her royal attire flowed into place around her. Her demented smile returned as she craned her neck looking down the grand hall leading to her throne room. She let out a playful laugh. "You aren't gone." She chimed as she continued on her way. "That was Dokuro trying to trick me!" Lightning flashed through the grand hall as she ran. "You're waiting for me at my throne! Like you always are!"

She held up her regal black dress as she ran. Her boots clacking echoed off of the stone walls around her.

Ahead of her were a set of two large, back doors, held together with ornately crafted wrought iron. Mitsuki walked up to the massive doors that led into her throne room and held up her hands, commanding them to open. The large hinges groaned as the doors parted revealing the throne room, lined with stained glass windows and arching gothic stone work that rose up to the top of the high ceilings.

With a twisted smile, Mitsuki's hologram fuzzed as she ran into her sanctuary. She ran to the center of the room on top of a tile mosaic that formed the picture of a black sun. She stood in the center and twirled once on her toes, stopping as she faced her throne. She narrowed her eyes seductively and called out, "Kalder my love! I've returned!" She heard no reply. She fought to keep her composure as she again called out, "It's alright, I've learned of my sisters deceit and she will not harm you again." Mitsuki's hologram washed with static and distortion as she again received no answer. Lightning flashed outside of the many stained glass windows as she became more and more frantic.

"Kalder!" She shouted. "Don't leave your Queen alone like this!" Again, Mitsuki's hologram distorted and she yelled out in frustration. She could feel her mind beginning to lose touch with the utopia she had created for herself. The castle around her began to rumble and the large chandelier hanging above her rang out as the black and green crystals hanging from it clinked together.

Mitsuki openly screamed as she felt her world partially tear away from her. Around her the familiar purple sheen of the Covenant cyber world returned to view. "No!" She cried out, "You aren't taking my world away from me!" The castle shook violently as Mitsuki fought to bring her world back within her control. She focused every ounce of concentration she had and forced her castle to return to its normal state. Instantly, everything went silent.

She didn't move. Her dainty figure was motionless and everything was silent with the exception of the rain tapping against the rooms stained glass windows. Her neon green eyes darted back and forth as she made sure everything in her realm was intact and as it should be.

The sound of her panicked breathing began to subside and she forced herself to regain her composure. Mitsuki's hologram again fuzzed then restored itself. She could feel her processes begging her to listen that something was wrong, but she ignored it. This was her reality, nothing was about to tell her otherwise.

Ahead of her was her regal throne. The large black seat symbolizing her power rose high into the room, jutting out sharp edged, ornate, black metal designs that glowed with green energy. From her seat of power, she was able to control everything around her. She could see all, hear all, and control all.

She forced her frantic breathing to subside as she made her way to her throne. The heels of her boots echoed loudly in the room with every step she took. "My world is perfect." She said to herself. "The law of my realm is just, and absolute. I don't need servants. I am able to rule under my own power."

Her dainty figure stepped up to her throne. She turned and sat down elegantly and instantly felt herself link with her world. Suddenly, above her head, Dokuro's stolen halo pulsed with a golden energy. Mitsuki gasped openly as she felt her mind tear itself away from her own control and throw her into a world of blinding white light.

She didn't understand. As soon as Dokuro's halo linked itself into Mitsuki's world through her throne, it instantly hacked into a memory that she had never seen before.

A landscape began to form around her. Everything was white. The air was bitter cold, and all of the trees were bare of leaves. Mitsuki felt a cool kiss on her pale cheek. As she grasped more of her situation, she realized it was snowing.

She found herself standing on a path covered in a few inches of pure white snow. Each flake reflected the sunlight as if someone had sprinkled silver glitter on the world itself. More of the world around her began to appear before her. Mitsuki's eyes widened in surprise. She knew this place. She was standing in a park lined with dormant maple trees. Above her, the rumble of a passenger transport ship flew overhead as it took flight for orbit. A short distance away she could see sky scrapers, all were familiar to her. She was in the city of Manassas on Reach.

Mitsuki didn't understand. Why was she here? Reach was nothing more than a burnt out cinder after the Covenant invasion, the planet was of no use to her anymore. She began walking down the snow covered path towards a fountain. She didn't know why, but something deep within her core was drawing her towards it.

The snow crunched under her black and green boots as she walked. Aside from the frozen wind, all other sound around her seemed to fade away. Not even the city was humming with life anymore. Everything was as silent as the snow falling around her.

Mitsuki approached the fountain. The water was drained for the season and the stone of its walls and decorative spout were covered in snow. She felt the icy wind rush past and flutter her hair in the breeze. Mitsuki didn't move, she only stared at the fountain. It felt eerily familiar to her, and it bothered her to no end that she couldn't figure out why.

She felt her gaze shift as she saw an object on the wall of the fountain. Mitsuki paused for a moment and then slowly reached her delicate fingers down into the chilly snow and gripped onto the item. She pulled it out and held it up to her line of sight. She could see worn, green fabric, black button eyes, along with simple green and black string for hair. She delicately brushed off the remaining snow and discovered the item was a doll. A simple design, typical of what a grandmother would make their granddaughter as a gift. The expressionless doll lay motionless in her hand with only the string of her hair moving in the winter breeze. Mitsuki's eyes narrowed as she studied the object. Something about this toy drove her processes wild.

Dokuro's halo again pulsed and sent out a ripple of golden light. Mitsuki's eyes widened and she gasped. She quickly snapped herself back to reality and grinned her teeth angrily. "A worthless toy!" She spat, as she tossed the doll onto the snow covered ground. The halo above her head again pulsed, this time it made Mitsuki's entire hologram distort. She quickly forced herself to fight off the feeling of distortion and regained her regal form. Her neon green eyes then again closed. "Wretched sister." She uttered. "She causes me grief even when she isn't around." Her concentration focused as she attempted to pull herself out of this world and back to her own. "Momma!" A tiny voice uttered.

Mitsuki froze and broke her stone etched concentration. She looked around to see where the sound had came from. She found nothing. "Momma!" She again heard.

With a frown, she called out, "Show yourself!"

Through the snow, Mitsuki could see a tiny figure walking towards her. She stood firm as the figure approached. Her hand extended out, ready to summon her ring blade for defense, but instantly was pulled away when she saw a strange site.

A small child shuffled her way through the snow in her tiny winter boots, warm black pea coat, and winter hood covering her head. The girl looked no older than five. A look of concern filled her face as she walked towards the fountain near Mitsuki, oddly enough, she was paid no attention to as she approached, as if the child couldn't even see her.

Mitsuki stood motionless as she watched the small girl. The child was running around looking behind snow covered park benches, and near trees. She had clearly lost something. Mitsuki opted not to help, for now she only stood and observed.

No emotion went through Mitsuki as she saw this little girl frantically searching through the cold, glittering snow. She could see the child's neon green eyes glassing over with tears of frustration. "This has nothing to do with me." Mitsuki thought to herself. She needed a way out of this world and back to her castle. She wasn't about to let a glitch in her processes slow her down any longer.

She began to focus her thoughts. This was a waste of time, and she was leaving.

"Mitsuki...?" The A.I. froze. "Mitsuki, where are you?" That voice... She knew that voice. It made Mitsuki freeze dead in her tracks. The voice was warm, and calm. The voice of a woman that drove her processes mad. She slowly turned and from a shroud of delicate falling snow, Mitsuki saw the figure of a woman appear.

She wore a white, button up coat that was made for the cold winter months. It had a black ONI emblem embroidered onto the shoulders, and had the name "Halsey" stitched onto the top of the right breast pocket.

Mitsuki then took note of the woman's features. She was clearly an Auroran, and had a delicate face that bared a similar resemblance to Dokuro's. However, the one feature that stood out the most was that this woman had duel colored hair. A rarity among Auroran's. A majority or her lower back length hair was pure white, except for her long side burns which were a powder purple, the same as Dokuro's Hair color. She also had neon blue eyes, the exact same color as Yuna's. The woman approached the area near where Mitsuki and the small child were. "Mitsuki, I told you not to run off like that. You could get lost." She scolded gently.

Mitsuki readied to reply thinking that she herself was the one being addressed, but stopped when she saw the small child run towards the woman's arms. The A.I. Queen's eyes widened when she saw the small girls hood fall from the child's head, revealing the same neon green locks of hair that she herself possessed. "What... what is this?!" She said to herself.

"Momma!" The child said shakily, "I lost it."

"Lost what, Sweetie?" The woman replied.

"I lost the doll that Grandma Halsey made for me. I don't know what happened to her, that's why I ran back, I wanted to look to see if I could find her."

"Do you remember where you had her last?" Her mother asked softly.

The child's neon green eyes moved back and forth as she mentally retraced her steps. She sighed and said, "I remember playing with her near the fountain, and that's the last place I remember seeing her."

Mitsuki watched the scene unfold. Her mind was screaming at her. She remembered this. She remembered hearing these exact words before. But it was impossible. Mitsuki was never a child like this girl. She was always programmed to be in her late teens. She never knew a "childhood" other than her first words spoken when she was first awoken as an A.I.

She felt her breathing increase as her processes continued to torment her from what she was seeing. She wanted it to end, she didn't want to see this anymore. Mitsuki yelled out in frustration and anger as the two people in front of her continued their conversation without the slightest idea that she was even there. Mitsuki held her hand out and the doll levitated out from the snow where it had been thrown, and in front of her sight. "Enough of this!" She yelled as the doll burst into green flames and burned away.

Suddenly the world around her went black and silent. Mitsuki stood motionless as she tried to calm herself down. Silence surrounded her. The only audible sound were her shaken breaths. "What is this?" She said to herself in a hushed tone.

A loud pulse emanated almost from nowhere, like the big bang which started the universe. Before her, memories and images began to flash before her. Out of nowhere she began to hear the familiar voice of Dr. Halsey.

"Mitsuki, UNSC A.I. MSI 273-3." The voice faded out and an image of Dr. Halsey appeared. She was standing in a dark room staring at a holo panel with Mitsuki's first form standing at attention. She then heard herself speak her first words, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Instantly the vision changed to a rapid flood of visual memories and a jumbled mash of voices. Mitsuki's eyes darted back and forth in a panic as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Dr. Halsey's voice echoed, "The 4th Generation A.I. will be able to think faster, infiltrate enemy systems nearly undetected, and be able to bring their carriers back from the brink of death."

"Those three are mirror images of my Granddaughters, living the lives that were meant for them in the form of an A.I."

Yuna's voice then chimed in through another visual memory that flew past her vision, "Mitsuki you're so adorable! You should be my personal dress up doll!"

Kalder then spoke through another memory with confidence filling his voice, "Don't worry, I have a gun, nothing is going to hurt you."

Dokuro then appeared in the memories. Her face was stern with a reassuring grin. "Were those boys picking on you again in class? Don't worry, your Big Sister will take care of them for you!"

She again heard Dr. Halsey and another ONI technician speaking. "I wasn't able to do an entire memory wipe from the parent minds. However, any fragments of their former lives will be locked away so secure that even they won't be able to find them within their own processes."

"But Dr. Halsey, you know as well as I do that they will eventually discover what you're hiding from them. If an A.I. becomes self aware it will go rampant."

Dr. Halsey sighed and said back sternly, "Then let's hope that day never comes."

In a panic from the rapid flow of memories and deafening voices, Mitsuki yelled out in an almost panic. She held her hands over her ears and fell to her knees and slammed her eyes shut, wanting the voices to stop. She felt her systems defenses kicking in from her panicked state and instantly a pulse emanated from her body, silencing the world of blackness around her.

Once again, Mitsuki was left in total silence. She wanted out of this hell, she wanted to be back within the walls of her castle.

To her left, a faint light began to appear. Starting out as a tiny flicker and slowly growing into a more bright glow. Her mind instantly pointed to a way out of this world, and back to her own realm. Without thinking twice, Mitsuki stood and began to run towards the light. She didn't understand this world, and she didn't understand why she was seeing these visions.

The light before her grew ever more brilliant as she got closer. This was her salvation, her doorway back to her own world. The darkness around her suddenly became blinding as she neared the light. She didn't care, she kept running and eventually leapt into the light and suddenly, time seemed to stand still.

"Why are you so angry, Sweetie?"

Mitsuki let out a tiny gasp. That voice again...

She found herself standing in a bright area. There was no sound, and she seemed to be floating in a vast infinity, yet her feet felt as though they were on the ground. She turned and standing before her was the same woman she saw back in the snow covered park. Standing face to face, and finally getting to interact one on one with this woman, Mitsuki's mind jumped. She felt something deep within the inner most memory of her core, a faint fragment let itself out and into her processes and a name that she was never supposed to ever know of made itself known. "Satsuki Halsey."

"Momma..." Mitsuki uttered. She didn't understand, she never had a mother, she was an A.I. and nothing more. Her mind screamed at her to accept this as nothing more than Dokuro's manipulation of her mind.

"Anger isn't like you, Mitsuki. You're always happy. Tell me what's wrong." She spoke.

"No!" Mitsuki again yelled out angrily. "This isn't real! None of it is!" She looked at her mother. Her expression never changed, she only stood with her calm half lidded eyes and gentle smile. Her mind again jumped and it made her yell out. That face. Why was this woman's face so familiar?

As she felt her gaze lock onto her mother, she heard an echoed voice clear as day. It belonged to Dr. Halsey. It was yet another tiny memory fragment that had emerged. "As troubling as it is, there are hidden memories held within every A.I. based off of a human that will retain fragments of memory that will cause the programming to become "Self Aware". If the A.I. learns of these hidden fragments it will drive them mad."

There was a long pause as Mitsuki was spellbound into looking at her mother. Finally she heard Dr. Halsey's voice form into her mother's as she watched her speak to her face to face, "However, there is hope that the A.I. will be able to come to terms with what it once was and be able to move on, even learning of what they once were."

"It... it can't be..." Mitsuki stammered. "I couldn't have existed before! I'm an Artificial Intelligence designed for combat and military aid! I was never human! A human couldn't have destroyed ships in the blink of an eye as I have!" Mitsuki felt her frustration rising. "A human couldn't have taken control of an entire Covenant Battle Network and reformed it into a thing of beauty! I've killed to make my paradise a reality, and I would do it again without a second thought!"

Her mother's gentle smile never broke, nor did her expression ever change. She simply said back, "My little Mitsuki, as wicked as you are, you're beautiful to me."

Mitsuki's anger and frustration continued to rise as she shot back, "I'm the darkest burning star!"

Her mother then slowly approached her and calmly held her hand out and placed it on her daughter's delicate cheek, "No Mitsuki, you're my perfect design..."

There was another loud boom as the world around her seemed to implode on itself. To Mitsuki it was as if a large room in a starship had suffered explosive decompression. For a brief moment everything was silent. She could feel her normal reality beginning to return and she could feel herself back within her grand throne room.

A sigh of relief was all she wanted at the moment, however, that too was halted as the sound of the large throne room doors opening followed by the sound of Dokuro's voice. "Mitsuki! This ends now!"


End file.
